Peugeot 508 Sport confirmed for production

The first ever Peugeot 508 Sport model has been confirmed by the head of the French car maker.

A show car known as the 508 Peugeot Sport Engineered Concept made its global debut at the Geneva motor show earlier this week, and has since been green-lit by Peugeot brand CEO Jean-Philippe Imparato.

The so-called 508 PSE concept takes the attractive 508 liftback sedan and imbues it with performance credentials, including a 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine combined with an electric motor (150kW at the front wheels) teamed to a 150kW electric motor at the rear wheels.

The result? A 0-100km/h time of 4.3 seconds, and a top speed of 250km/h. But also a pure electric driving range of 50 kilometres from the 11.8kWh battery pack, and combined emissions of just 49g/km (equating to fuel use of about two litres per 100 kilometres in hybrid mode).

Mr Imparato appears to have taken a leaf from Elon Musk’s book, confirming the model in response to a naysayer on Twitter.

“It’s not a slim chance… We ARE going to make it!” Mr Imparato tweeted. Note: we’ve not included his ‘winky face’ emoji in this quote. 

There is no timing as yet for when a production version may eventuate, a 2020 production debut is possible. 

We ARE going to make it!

As for Australia? When it happens, the company is keen.

“We would certainly put our hand up for the Peugeot 508 PSE in Australia however, it is too early to confirm availability or production – as much as we’d love to see it on local roads,” said Tyson Bowen, Peugeot Australia manager of PR and corporate affairs.

The regular 508 range is destined to go on sale in Australia in the coming months, with the 508 liftback to be offered with a choice of 1.6-litre turbo-petrol engines - the entry version with 133kW/250Nm and the high-grade model with 168kW/350Nm.

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