Peugeot’s next e-boosted hot hatch

Following the hot hybrid 508, next up from Peugeot Sport should be a full-electric hot 208. By Jake Groves and Phil McNamara

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LEX LUTHOR CALLED…

…he wants the kryptonite back. Peugeot’s hot electric 208 will use plenty of green detailing in a colour named after Superman’s one weakness. The project hasn’t been signed o yet, but boss Imparato and 208 project manager Guillaume Clerc want it to happen. The plan is for all Peugeot Sport cars to use the colour.

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POWER STRUGGLE

At the e-208’s launch, project manager Rémi Seimpere said the 50kWh battery filled all the available space. That means extra shove will have to come from fitting a more powerful electric motor drawing from the same battery, sacrificing some of the regular e-208’s range.

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PLUGGED IN ROLLOUT

The Peugeot Sport sub-brand will all be electrified. Plug-in hybrid, non-Sport versions of the 508, 3008 and 5008 are hitting dealers and it won’t be long until the first o cial Peugeot Sport car is revealed – the circa-300bhp, all-wheel-drive hybrid 508 Peugeot Sport. After the 208, Peugeot has to decide on a plan for the hot version of the nextgeneration 308.

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THE GROUP PICTURE

Pollutant-heavy performance cars wouldn’t help the PSA group’s image or its bank balance – if any brand is 1g/km of CO2 over the new average emissions limits, fines of more than €85m could be applied, hence the shift to electrification. Vauxhall is on board with PSA’s hot e-plans; boss Stephen Norman has previously hinted that the next Corsa VXR will be electrified.

Jean-Philippe Imparato

Executive vice-president, Peugeot

‘GTi is nonsense for me. There is one way to say it simply: Peugeot Sport. That means high performance, low emissions, new sensations. If I o er a B-segment performance car, it will be a full EV – that’s obvious. We will decide by the end of 2020, more or less.’