Excitement for the annual Shanghai Motor Show is cooking up with the latest and frankly unexpected reveal of the Peugeot 308 R Hybrid.
The Peugeot 308 R exclusive reveal has quite literally sprung out of nowhere with nobody expecting another big announcement so close to doors opening in one of Asia's biggest cities.
Youd do well to put your faith in the 308 R design as its in development from the racing wing of Peugeot which has good form on producing vehicle with tremendous and frankly ferocious performance. The vehicle is only likely to further enhance Peugeots reputation on this front which is fast-growing to say the least.
A plug-in hybrid, the Peugeot offers 493bhp with a 1.6-litre turbo engine and an electric motor behind each axle. The vehicle will be four-wheel-drive and as those engine stats suggest, not lacking in the power department.
There will be four driving modes available, including ZEV, Road, Track and Hot Lap. Each will offer there own take on the 308 Rs rapid engine composition. The vehicle will also provide an exciting 730Nm of torque. Normally all of this would result in emissions pushing towards the unhealthy end of the scale, however, the addition of hybrid means the 308 Rs power train emits an exceptionally frugal 70g/km of CO2s. This is, of course, significantly lower than many of the vehicles the 308 R will be challenging in terms of performance and driving experience. MPG has also been slated at 94mpg.
That performance is further enhanced by a reported top-speed of over 155mph. The vehicle joins the under 5-second club by racking up a healthy 0-62mph time of 4.0 seconds.
When it comes to design the vehicle is not dissimilar to the Golf R, though the Peugeot perhaps trumps the VW powerhouse due to its race trim that could safeguard its reputation in the market. The 308 R is not dissimilar to the concept seen at Paris back in October, though the vehicle appears to take many of its initial design cues from the Quartz SUV Concept; also seen at the show. The Peugeot is 80mm wider and showcases teasing 19-inch rim. This allows for big wheels, angular bumpers and an overall chunky design that fits the trend of similar vehicles including the Ford Focus RS. Throwing in the prestigious Peugeot badge is likely to carry a fair bit of weight as well.
Officially, Peugeot havent yet decided whether to launch the vehicle into production but hopefully the positive reaction from the press and fans alike will spur the design-team into life as this vehicle is already looking a cracker.
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