Hybrid Pug will set new style

Peugeot's new 508 sedan and station wagon were launched in southern Spain this week.

Peugeot will introduce a 4WD hybrid station wagon into the New Zealand market within the next two years - and it is already shaping up as a trendsetter.

It is a product of the powertrain-sharing agreement the PSA Peugeot Citroen group has with luxury German BMW, further extended from mid-2011 to include hybrid technology that will make it into production vehicles from 2014.

The 50:50 equity joint venture, called BMW Peugeot Citroen Electrification, will provide both companies with economy of scale benefits while they develop and produce components for hybrid drivetrains including battery packs, electric motors, generators, power electronics, chargers and related software.

The project's aim, besides developing standard bits and pieces for future BMW and PSA hybrid vehicles, is to develop an open European platform for the technology, where both companies could sell it to other carmakers.

The operation will be headed by BMW's head of purchasing strategy Wolfgang Gullich as chief executive and PSA's director for customer satisfaction and quality planning Jean Leflour as managing director.

Expertise will be drawn from both company's workforces while creating new jobs by hiring external staff.

Details of the all-paw 508 carry-all were revealed at the launch of the new 508 sedan and SW station wagon on a mix of roads in southern Spain on Wednesday.

Its hybrid power comes from Peugeot's unique HYbrid4 set-up, which uses a 120kW 2-litre diesel engine to drive the front wheels and a 28kW electric motor to move those at the rear.

This system features in the 3008 crossover, where Peugeot says it can deliver town and around fuel economy of 3.7 litres/100km (74.4mpg) and 99gr/km of CO2.

As well as its high-tech powertrain, the hybrid 508 SW will get jacked-up suspension and off-road styling to stand out from versions with more conventional drivetrains.

The HYbrid4 system will feature only in the SW - it's too big to fit into the 508 sedan. Peugeot will share the diesel-electric set-up with future DS4 and DS5 models from Citroen.

Further down the line, however, the next-generation HYbrid4 system will be more compact. The nickel-metal hydride batteries will be replaced by lithium-ion cells. This will allow Peugeot to fit the system to more of its smaller cars in future.

The technology is part of a new chapter in the Peugeot story, allied to a styling direction that began with the SR1 concept in Geneva in 2009, described as a "more extreme and pure expression of the Peugeot style of tomorrow".

At its centre is a "mobility" strategy, a mission statement of sorts, covering the development of all sorts of Peugeot vehicles.

The new 508 range is a showcase product of that strategy. It also borrows styling cues from the concept SR1.

The 508 goes into the market as a replacement for two cars - the 407 and bigger 607. It is a better and bigger all-round package than the 407, although the sedan is 25kg lighter than the 407 four-door and 45kg lighter than the 407 five-door SW. Lightweight components like the composite boot lid/tailgate helped save weight.

It offers more interior room in a much classier cabin, along with better lighting from the LED gear, improved dynamics, reduced fuel consumption and emissions. It makes more sense than the 407 and 607 put together. That was clear after 250km on a mix of good and bad roads near Alicante.

Peugeot will launch the 508 range in New Zealand in June with two engine choices: Euro5-rated 2-litre or 2.2-litre turbodiesels mated to six-speed automatic Asin gearboxes. There is no petrol option.

The 2.2-litre unit will carry a GT badge on its rear. "We haven't had a GT badge on a sedan for a very long time," said Peugeot national manager Simon Rose.

The 508 rides on a double wishbone suspension set-up in front and a multi-link arrangement at the rear and is shod with 18- or 19-inch alloys.

Rose says he wants to try to keep pricing in line with the 407 range - starting at around $54,000 for the 2-litre sedan through to $59,990 for the 2.2-litre GT four-door and $62,990 for the SW.

The 2-litre diesel delivers 120kW at 3750rpm and 340Nm between 2000-3000rpm. The 2.2-litre unit dishes out 150kW at 3500rpm and a whopping 450Nm between 2000-2750rpm.

Peugeot claims town-and-around fuel use for both cars of 5.7 litres/100km, or 50mpg, from the 75-litre fuel tank. Exhaust emissions are rated at around 150gr/km.

Rose aims to sell 200 examples of the 508 in the six months between June and December this year.