SHANGHAI MOTOR SHOW: Peugeot unleashes 368kW 308 R HYbrid

Late last night Peugeot released official pictures of the 368kW 308 R HYbrid it will reveal at the Shanghai motor show on Monday (April 20).

Created by the French car-maker’s motorsport division, Peugeot Sport, the new concept is powered by a 199kW 1.6-litre turbo that’s lifted from the RCZ R coupe but, in the 308 R HYbrid, is aided by two 85kW electric motors mounted on the front and rear axle.

Combined with the petrol power the 308 R HYbrid produces 368kW and, thanks to all-wheel drive, can sprint to 100km/h in four seconds with a limited top speed of 250km/h.

Despite the performance, emissions are said to be as low as 70g/km of CO2 for the plug-in hybrid concept.

To help cope with the added power and maximum 730Nm of torque Peugeot Sport has widened the front and rear track by 80mm and added wide 235/35 tyres with large 19-inch wheels.

Four driving modes are offered with the plug-in hybrid concept.

For normal use the 308 R HYbrid’s, in ‘Road’ mode produces 221kW of power with torque limited to 400Nm. In this mode the driver gets full petrol power and some boost from the rear electric motor only.

Visit a race circuit and you can switch to ‘Track’ mode that brings into play the front electric motor - but only when accelerating. Power rises to 294kW/530Nm.

The full 368kW/730Nm is only unleashed in a mode called ‘Hot Lap’ that uses full power from all three engines.

The 308 R HYbrid can also run in pure electric in its ZEV mode but it’s unknown for how long or how far. Peugeot says it takes just 45min to fully charge the 3kWh lithium battery using a fast charger.

To help keep the 308 R HYbrid stable at speed Peugeot Sport has added a subtle tailgate spoiler, while at the front twin air scoops have been introduced to aid cooling.

Like the recent Peugeot 208 GTI 30, the 308 R HYbrid gets a matte paint finish for the rear half of the car.

Inside the concept the Peugeot plug-in hybrid gets four sport seats and a cabin full of sporty red highlights. To save weight, instead of being covered in plastic, the dashboard is wrapped in lightweight fabric.

It’s not known what gearbox the 308 R HYbrid comes equipped with but the six-speed automatic, or automated manual gearbox is controlled using steering wheel-mounted paddles.

Peugeot hasn’t confirmed whether or not the 308 R HYbrid will enter production or when we’ll see the new powertrain in future models, but the concept is likely to be a pointer to the upcoming 308 GTi hot hatch with a conventional (turbo-petrol) powertrain..