PARIS SHOW: Peugeot 508 unveiled

2010 Paris Motor Show News Special

Peugeot has unveiled its long-awaited 508 model at the Paris Motor Show, the new car to take the place of the 407 and 607 models, sitting somewhere in between the pair proportionally.

The 508 is the first production model to feature the French brand's new, dare we say more demure, design language, a floating single-piece grille, slimmer piercing headlamps with LED tubes (day time running lights) and more chiselled sheetmetal sculpting, resonating design cues first seen on the 5 by Peugeot Concept and SR1 Roadster Concept previously.

Specification and pricing details are still a little way from being finalised, but Peugeot has indicated a mix of eight of petrol and diesel engines will eventually be offered, the latter fitted with Stop/Start technology for better overall fuel consumption, somewhere in the vicinity of 15 per cent, Peugeot says.

A hybrid model utilising Pug's HYbrid4 technology is also rumoured to be in development. The all-wheel drive model develops 149kW while emitting only 99g/km of CO2. This model could be in showrooms within two years.

In the here and now, the most likely mix of powertrains for Australian 508s as we see it will be the 1.6-litre e-HDI FAP (83kW/285Nm) turbodiesel four-cylinder matched to an ECG six-speed transmission. The unit sipping only 4.2L/100km while emitting 109g/km of CO2.

A 2.2-litre HDi FAP is also likely, the 508 GT version a suitable model to receive the higher output turbodiesel with an output of 152kW/450Nm producing only 150g/km of CO2 when mated to a six-speed automatic transmission.

Peugeot's most powerful petrol option, a 116kW/240Nm 1.6-litre THP four-cylinder emitting 150g/km of CO2 is also a likely candidate.

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