Here's something interesting for both Peugeot and hot hatch fans. The French brand's CEO Maxime Picat has posted two images on his Twitter account, showing PSA Peugeot Citroen chairman Carlos Tavares getting into a Peugeot 308 R HYbrid test mule.
With a caption like "Looks like the Peugeot 308 R HYbrid is ready to move! Today our CEO Carlos Tavares enjoyed its radical performance!" it appears that Peugeot is working on turning the Auto Shanghai 2015 show car into reality. Usually, these things rarely get recorded, much less tweeted for the world to see and expect, so we can treat it as a "confirmation" of sorts.
The 308 R HYbrid was a shocker when news of it came into our inbox in April, thanks to the figures 500 hp and 730 Nm. The powertrain starts a 1.6 litre THP engine with 270 hp. It's mated through a six-speed paddle-shift gearbox to a 115 hp front electric motor; there's another motor at the rear, effectively providing four-wheel drive. 0 to 100 km/h is done in four seconds flat, despite emitting just 70 g/km of CO2.
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It can use regenerative braking throughout the whole speed range, which, in addition to conserving the life of the pads and discs, can also charge the 3 kWh lithium-ion battery. The pack can also be recharged either by the front electric motor (driven by the engine) as a generator or by plugging the car up to a rapid charging terminal, the latter filling the battery up in 45 minutes.
The concept's tracks have been widened by 80 mm, and we can see that the red mule has some seriously blistered wheel arches. The just-launched 270 hp Peugeot 308 GTi makes do with the standard 308 body.
The prototype's face is similar to the GTi's though, which is less aggressive than the Shanghai showcar's big grille and air intake combo. Also borrowed from the production GTi are those sexy 18-inch "Diamant" alloys. So, are you ready for a 500 hp AWD hybrid hot hatch? Peugeot seems to be.
Peugeot 308 R HYbrid at Shanghai 2015
Peugeot 308 GTi
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