Ignoring the SUV mania, Peugeot reveals a four-door performance car.

Always expect the unexpected from French automotive brands in the weeks before a Geneva auto show and for 2019, one of the big surprises has been revealed.

Instead of a strange city car or outlandish hypercar concept, Peugeot’s latest offering is a very quick and driver-focussed 508 sedan. Yes, a sedan.

Despite SUVs and crossovers continuing to lead automotive demand trends, Peugeot’s allowed its best technical people to develop the Sport Engineered 508. The styling upgrades are mostly sourced from an in-house developed 3D-printing programme and you’ll notice new bumpers with generous aero scoops, to aid cooling and aerodynamic efficiency.

Rolling 20-inch alloy wheels, this Sport Engineered 508 is a decidedly French interpretation of what the four-door compact performance car should be – hence the absence of a gratuitous rear spoiler, which Peugeot’s stylists consider ruinous to any road car’s purity of shape. That doesn’t mean that the aft section of his 508 Sport Engineered doesn’t feature clever aero: it has a fully functional diffuser framing the rear bumper.

With a purposeful stance, thanks to the 24 mm wider front track, it would be a shame if Peugeot didn’t bless its Sport Engineered 508 with a competitive powertrain. Don’t worry – it isn’t a diesel. The 508 sources its power from a 1.6-litre turbopetrol engine, in combination with an electric drive system, sourcing power from an 11.8 kWh battery.

The 145 kW internal combustion component drives 508’s front wheels, with two electric motors assisting to provide all-wheel drive: 78 kW on the front axle and 148 kW to the rear wheels. Total system toque delivery is 500Nm and with the benefit of all-wheel drive, acceleration is healthily competitive.

All powertrain system components can’t deliver their peak inputs simultaneously and as such the system’s power rating is 300 kW, which is less than its cumulative total measurements in individual power source peaks. Peugeot claims this 508 Sport Engineered will run a benchmark 0-100 kph sprint in 4.3 seconds, before powering onto a top speed of 250 kph. It’s also good for 50 km of pure electric driving range.

A striking concept car with real-world applicability, Peugeot is testing market reaction with the possibility of producing a slightly detuned version of the 508 Sport Engineered for customers, by the end of 2020.

The Peugeot 508 is a striking vehicle which hopes to buck the SUV trend

Further Reading

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