New Peugeot 508 PHEV and Hybrid Models Are Out for Passat GTE Blood

The system consists of a 180 horsepower 1.6-liter turbo engine and a 110 HP electric motor. Combined output is thus 225 HP, the same as a 508 GT, so you could call it a GTE... if VW didn't own the trademark.

Sales won't start until next year, so technical details aren't fully released. Given the 11.8 kWh battery, we'd expect this to weight a lot more than the standard model, about 1.6 tons in the case of the sedan. And with all that power and torque going only to the front wheels, we believe the 0 to 100 km/h time will fall to around 8 seconds.

That allows the 508 and 508 SW to cover 40 km (25 miles) in EV mode, which isn't much. Also, the plug-in tech seems a bit outdated, as it takes four hours with a 3.3 kW 14A charger or, optionally, 1 hour and 45 minutes using a 6.6 kW 32A Wallbox.

Still, should you find yourself in need of a green family car that's not a Prius or made by the Germans, it's worth giving Peugeot a look.

As standard, both 508 Hybrid models get a new e-EAT8 eight-speed automatic transmission that is linked to the 80kW electric motor on the front axle. For a better transition between electrical and thermal, the unit ditches the normal torque converter for a wet multiple-disc clutch.

In Paris, we saw that the interior sticks to the 508 formula but does its own thing with renewable seat materials, metal dash trim and hybrid-specific screen graphics. Also, it looks pretty cool with those dual exhaust pipes, which are real by the way.