This is the Peugeot 508 Sport Engineered concept. The powerful plug-in hybrid show car debuts at next month’s Geneva Motor Show and previews a performance-based 508 PHEV that will go into production by the end of next year.
Peugeot’s latest concept is powered by a 197bhp 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbocharged PureTech petrol engine that is supported by two electric motors - a 107bhp unit powering the front axle and an additional 201bhp motor for the rear axle.
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The total combined power output is over 500bhp but because the system’s power sources can’t deliver their peak outputs simultaneously, a real-world maximum of around 400bhp is nearer the mark. As such, Peugeot claims a 0-62mph time of 4.3 seconds and a top speed of 155mph.
Peugeot has told AutoExpress that the hot 508 plug-in hybrid will make production - although the name is yet to be confirmed.
It will arrive in showrooms by the end of 2020 and will keep the concept’s four-wheel drive powertrain, but power output will be toned down “to a combined figure of around 350bhp,” according to Peugeot’s head of brand strategy and concept cars, Philippe-Emmanuel Jean.
In essence, the 508 Sport Engineered concept is an evolution of the firm’s existing 508 hybrid, albeit it with a handful of styling updates. Its exterior features a redesigned front bumper, carbon-fibre wing mirrors, quarter panel-mounted canards, larger side skirts, enormous alloy wheels and badging borrowed from the firm’s e-Legend concept.
Inside, the Peugeot 508 concept receives a set of bucket seats, a new dashboard, fresh door cards and an updated headliner all of which are trimmed in leather and Alcantara.
Other features include a touch-sensitive gear selector, a carbon-fibre sports steering wheel, a 10-inch infotainment system and a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster.
The 508 Sport Engineered concept’s electric motors are powered by an 11.8kWh battery, which provides a claimed zero-emission range of 31 miles. Supposedly, when running in hybrid mode, the system will also return emissions figures of 49g/km of CO2 under the WLTP regime.
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