GENEVA MOTOR SHOW: Peugeot 508 R sports sedan confirmed
300kW all-wheel drive plug-in hybrid Sport Engineered concept will hit the roadIf you thought the 300kW all-wheel drive plug-in hybrid-powered Peugeot 508 Sport Engineered concept that debuted at this week’s Geneva motor show was just a flight of fantasy, then think again.
That’s because Peugeot’s global brand CEO, Jean-Philippe Imparato, in response to a Twitter user who claimed there was only a slim chance it will become reality, has now confirmed the Peugeot 508 sports sedan will in fact reach production.
“It’s not a slim chance… we ARE going to make it!” tweeted Imparato yesterday.
The tasty Sport Engineered concept is based on the new-generation Peugeot 508 sedan, which first appeared at the the 2018 Geneva show, will again be available in wagon form and is due on sale in Australia around mid-2019.
The flagship Peugeot 508 – which is likely to be called the Peugeot 508 R, not GTi -- combines a 147kW turbocharged 1.6-litre four-cylinder with two electric motors: an 80kW motor that drives the font axle and an even more powerful 150kW motor that powers the rear.
Combined, the Peugeot 508 Sport Engineered plug-in hybrid produces about 300kW and, thanks to its all-wheel drive traction, can launch to 100km/h in a claimed 4.3 seconds and top out at 250km/h.
Drawing electricity from an 11.8kWh lithium-ion battery, the electrified 508 Sport Engineered concept can also cover 50km in pure-electric range, with emissions set to be as low as 49g/km of CO2.
Cosmetically, the hot Peugeot 508 show car is differentiated by carbon-fibre door mirrors, a redesigned front bumper and trick winglets attached to both the front and side skirts.
Sitting on large 20-inch wheels, the sleek fastback 508 Sport Engineered also has a lower ride height and wider front (+24mm) and rear (+12mm) tracks. Inside, there are sport seats and carbon-fibre instead of wood trims.
Sadly, as our inside sources previously indicated, the production version of Peugeot’s first direct rival for the Audi S4 should appear by the end of 2020 and retain all-wheel drive, but its output could be limited to 250kW.
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