Peugeot 408 Officially Unleashed in Beijing

Here is the new Peugeot 408, a new model which was launched in China but is supposed to be released in several international markets, as the parent manufacturer said in a release. The car was designed in France but will be manufactured in China at Wuhan. The first units are due to go on sale in China in spring 2010, before the official launch in Latin America.

Before jumping into any technical details, let's have a look at the aforementioned pictures. Although you might be tempted to believe that this looks like any regular Peugeot, the French manufacturer promises the best things of the car are hiding under the hood.

There will be two engines available across the range, as it follows: a 1.6-liter 16V unit that develops 110 horsepower at 5,750 rpm and 147 Nm of torque at 4,000 rpm plus a 2.0-liter configuration sporting 147 horsepower and 200 Nm of torque.

Safety features include 6 airbags (2 adaptive front airbags, 2 side airbags and 2 curtain airbags), 5 three-point safety belts, an audible and visual warning system plus front and rear headrests.

Other highlights include a large and fold-away 7-inch screen, dashboard-mounted CD player with MP3 and WMA compatibility, Bluetooth support, USB connectivity and a number of options such as cruise control and bi-xenon headlights.

"Peugeot, in accordance with the Group’s demanding quality policy, has deployed major resources to conduct 1,000,000 km of road testing on the 408. This means that double the amount of initial road testing has been carried out prior to the vehicle’s sales launch. The aim has been to obtain the maximum amount of feedback likely to improve or correct the slightest detail not complying with the high quality targets set for the 408 at the time of its launch," Peugeot said in a release.