Peugeot 408 (2022) Revealed For Europe

[Nairrk]

The all-new Peugeot 408 will be revealed on 22 June and official teaser shots confirm it’ll be a coupe-SUV. We’ve previously seen the French firm post a close-up of the car’s nose - showing the grille, badge and 408 badging - but now we have a much clearer view of Peugeot’s new family car.

We’ve previously seen spy shots of Peugeot developing a lifted saloon - in a similar style to the Polestar 2 - and these latest teasers confirm that the test car pictured was indeed the new 408.

The spy images of the mystery car show Peugeot’s ‘sabre-tooth’ daytime running lights, a lower roofline than the more traditional 3008 SUV, plus a sloping rear that gives it a sportier profile. The triple ‘claw’ rear lights seen on the rest of the brand’s line-up will almost certainly make an appearance too.

The new official images from Peugeot don’t reveal as much but do at least confirm we’ll see all of those Peugeot design traits on the 408. Unsurprisingly, it looks like the 408 will utilise Peugeot’s i-Cockpit cabin layout as well.

Peugeot has previously said its new 408 “combines characteristic codes of SUVs with a dynamic Fastback silhouette”. Omitting the 008 badge associated with Peugeot’s SUVs means the 408 will probably sit between the 308 hatchback and 508 saloon. The 408 should take styling cues from both cars, although the grille shown in the teaser image incorporates a new design.

The use of plug-in hybrid powertrain for the 408 is almost a certainty. We can expect the 408 to offer the same 1.6-litre, four-cylinder hybrid petrol engines producing 178bhp or 222bhp found in the 308. If a Peugeot Sport Engineered model is in the works then that could get the 508 PSE’s 335bhp hybrid powertrain.

The 408 may not be limited to plug-in hybrid power, however, as it’ll use Stellantis’s modular EMP2 platform so we could see the 128bhp 1.2-litre petrol and 128bhp 1.5-litre diesel being used. As with the 308, it’s likely every powertrain will only be available with an eight-speed automatic transmission.

Given the Peugeot 308 will soon be offered with an all-electric e-308 variant, there could also be an e-408 in the pipeline. In the 154bhp e-308 a 54kWh battery provides 250 miles of range - although the e-408’s extra size and weight will likely mean it won’t be able to travel quite as far. Even so, it should still provide healthy competition to entry-level versions of the Skoda Enyaq Coupe and Volkswagen ID.5.

We expect the upcoming 408 to provide competition to the Toyota C-HR, Renault Arkana and Volkswagen T-Roc, as well offering an alternative to the 508 and 3008 SUV in the brand’s range.

There’s no word on pricing yet but given it’ll be a larger and more fashionable offering than the 308, a starting price of around £35,000 seems likely.

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[Nairrk]

Peugeot 408 revealed for Europe as stylish fastback on stilts

Peugeot has been using the "408" moniker since 2010 in China for a sedan version of the 308 hatchback. It received a comprehensive update this year in the People's Republic, but it's not the car featured in the adjacent images. Rather confusingly, the nameplate is now being repurposed in Europe for a different model. Officially categorized as a fastback, the 408 intended for the Old Continent has an unconventional look akin to the Citroën C5 X.

It rides on the latest iteration of Stellantis' EMP2 platform shared with the global 308 hatchback and wagon, but Peugeot argues it's a more sophisticated product positioned "at the top of the C-segment." Say what you will about the design, but we must give the French automaker credit for daring to think outside the box. The new 408 is like a jacked-up wagon with a swoopy roofline for an unconventional body with more lines and curves than we can count.

At 4,687 millimeters (184.5 inches) long, the new model carrying the lion badge is a smidge longer than the traditionally shaped 308 SW. It's 1,859 mm (73.2 in) wide and 1,478 mm (58.2 in) tall, with a generous wheelbase stretching at 2,787 mm (109.7 in). These proportions are also nearly the same as those of the 308 wagon. The wheels can be as large as this intricate 20-inch set available on the high-end trim levels.

With the rear seats in place, the trunk can swallow 536 liters (almost 19 cubic feet) or up to 1,611 liters (56.9 cu ft) after folding the rear seats of the version powered solely by a combustion engine. Because of its sleeker profile, it can't match the practicality offered by the 308, so you'll sacrifice some of the luggage capacity for the extra style.

There's not much to say about the avant-garde interior as it has been largely carried over from the 308s. That’s not necessarily a bad thing since the cabin looks like it was taken from a concept and/or a luxury car. It gets a pair of 10-inch screens and Peugeot's typically small steering wheel. A fancy Focal sound system with 10 speakers (including subwoofer) was developed over the course of three years specifically for the 408.

Peugeot will initially sell the new 408 with a choice between two plug-in hybrid powertrains. Both are front-wheel drive with an eight-speed automatic transmission and an electric motor producing 109 horsepower (81 kilowatts). What sets them apart is the 1.6-liter turbocharged gasoline engine as its has different states of tune, 150 and 180 hp. With the power of the combustion engine and electric motor combined, the lesser PHEV delivers 180 hp (133 kW) and 360 Newton-meters (265 pound-feet) of torque. The more potent variant ups the horsepower ante to 225 hp (165 kW) while retaining the same amount of torque.

Alternatively, there's an entry-level variant with a smaller three-cylinder 1.2-liter gasoline engine offering 130 hp (96 kW) and 230 Nm (169 lb-ft) of torque. It too sends its oomph to the front wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission. Peugeot isn't planning to offer a diesel, but a purely electric derivative is in the offing.

The car is scheduled to hit the market in early 2023 once assembly will commence in France at the Mulhouse plant. Peugeot intends to sell the car in China as well by localizing production at the Chengdu factory. The EV model is destined to arrive a few months after the ICE and PHEV derivatives.

As to whether this model was necessary what with Peugeot already having the 308 SW and 3008, only the sales figures will be able to answer that.

moto1.com

 

[Nairrk]

New Peugeot 408 ready for public debut on 17 October 2022

Peugeot will bring its new 408 to the Paris Motor Show in October, giving the public a first opportunity to see it in the metal. The 408 arrives as a “dynamic fastback” to sit between the 508 large family hatch and the mid-size 3008 SUV.

Similar to the Polestar 2’s bodystyle, the 408 is a raised-up five-door with a large hatchback tailgate, Peugeot says the 408 puts a focus on practicality and style, and is the first car of its kind on the market.

Much of the 408’s styling is new ground for Peugeot, although there are clear nods to the latest 308. The underpinnings are shared with the 308 so in terms of powertrains there’ll be plenty of crossover.

The 408 sits on the latest evolution of Peugeot’s EMP2 platform and will be powered by a single pure-petrol engine as well as plug-in hybrid powertrains from its launch in early 2023. The brand has also confirmed a fully electric variant – likely to be called the e-408 – will follow “a few months later.”

The only non-electrified version will be the entry-level 128bhp 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbo petrol unit – and even this will be replaced by a mild-hybrid variant at the end of 2023, the firm says.

The pair of plug-in powertrains consists of Peugeot’s 178bhp Hybrid 180 and the 222bhp Hybrid 225. Both variants use the same 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine mated to an electric motor that’s fed by a 12.4kWh battery, which will take one hour and 55 minutes to charge from a 7kW wallbox. The 308, and 508 and 3008 PHEVs that use the same plug-in hybrid system can cover up to 37 and 39 miles respectively, so similar figures for the 408 seem likely.

All engines are mated exclusively to an eight-speed automatic gearbox, so expect the 1.2 petrol to accelerate from 0-62mph in around 10 seconds. The electric assistance from the plug-in hybrids means they’ll both be quicker despite carrying extra weight, so the Hybrid 225 could dip below 8.5 seconds for the same benchmark sprint.

The fastest version will undoubtedly be the e-408, however. Power will come from a 54kWh battery, which is slightly bigger than the unit you’ll find in the Peugeot e-2008 and e-208, but features a new chemical composition to improve range and efficiency.

Peugeot claims the e-308 will be able to recharge 20-80 per cent in less than 25 minutes with a 100kW charging capacity, so we’ll expect the same for the e-408. A 248-mile range for the e-308 has also been claimed, but with the more upright, less-aerodynamic stance of the e-408, it’ll probably not match the e-308 on that measure.

Project Design Director Pierre-Paul Mattei told us that the 408’s design and positioning is the key to this new model, however.

“The new 408 started a few years ago with the objective of reinventing the saloon. The driving position is dynamic – higher than a saloon but not even as high as a coupe-SUV. It’s for people looking for something new. It’s a very dynamic saloon with the feeling of modern Peugeot DNA.

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