The hot Peugeot 308 GTi that was just revealed at the Goodwood Festival of Speed should have worn the R badge. That's how they showed it as a concept, and that's what we were told to expect. However, Peugeot Sport are saving the 308 R for an even more insane car.
We're talking about a production version of the 308 R HYbrid concept, shown at this year's edition of the Shanghai Auto Show.
Maxime Picat, a member of the PSA Executive Committee, recently shared two photos on his Twitter account. They show CEO Carlos Tavares "enjoying the radical performance of the #Peugeot308RHYbrid."
Honestly, this could be the biggest news to come out from Peugeot in over a year, not to mention it will upset the balance of the hyper hatch hierarchy. Can you imagine an A45 AMG or Audi RS3 Sportback being defeated by a Peugeot?
For anybody who's been following the development of the Peugeot brand, this is a complete 180-degree switch. Previously, Tavares hinted there wasn't enough money to be made in performance vehicles and nearly scrapped the 308 GTi.
As a concept, the R Hybrid boasted a maximum output of 500 PS from the 1.6-liter turbo engine and two electric motors, each one producing 115 PS.
Nobody has yet tried to stuff this much power into a hatchback or create a hardcore performance hybrid. The closest thing would be the VW Golf GTE and Audi A3 e-tron, both of which pack 204 PS.
As you can see in these low-res photos, the 308 R prototype is quite a bit wider, thanks to fender flares. However, it will probably not be the ideal track car. Hybrid tech should add at least 200 kilograms (440 lbs). Even if we get a 1.5-ton car, it's still going to be different to every other model on the market, so we're glad they went ahead with production.
Maxime Picat, a member of the PSA Executive Committee, recently shared two photos on his Twitter account. They show CEO Carlos Tavares "enjoying the radical performance of the #Peugeot308RHYbrid."
Honestly, this could be the biggest news to come out from Peugeot in over a year, not to mention it will upset the balance of the hyper hatch hierarchy. Can you imagine an A45 AMG or Audi RS3 Sportback being defeated by a Peugeot?
For anybody who's been following the development of the Peugeot brand, this is a complete 180-degree switch. Previously, Tavares hinted there wasn't enough money to be made in performance vehicles and nearly scrapped the 308 GTi.
As a concept, the R Hybrid boasted a maximum output of 500 PS from the 1.6-liter turbo engine and two electric motors, each one producing 115 PS.
Nobody has yet tried to stuff this much power into a hatchback or create a hardcore performance hybrid. The closest thing would be the VW Golf GTE and Audi A3 e-tron, both of which pack 204 PS.
As you can see in these low-res photos, the 308 R prototype is quite a bit wider, thanks to fender flares. However, it will probably not be the ideal track car. Hybrid tech should add at least 200 kilograms (440 lbs). Even if we get a 1.5-ton car, it's still going to be different to every other model on the market, so we're glad they went ahead with production.
Looks like #Peugeot308RHYbrid is ready to move! Today our CEO Carlos Tavares enjoyed its radical performance! pic.twitter.com/a2J3Hjt5Q6
— Maxime Picat (@MaximePicat) June 29, 2015