Remember the hot Peugeot 308 R with its 266 HP 1.6? You can forget it, because here’s the new hybrid version with 300 HP for road use, 400 for the track, and a full 500 HP if you unleash the Hot Lap mode. [Update: It’s a concept, we got ahead of ourselves.]
The 308 R Hybrid was developed by Peugeot Sport, the same team that sent this monster to Dakar and raced the Peugeot 908 Hybrid4 at Le Mans in 2012.
Thanks to the additional electric motors, the 308 R Hybrid has all-wheel drive with the same 270-HP 1.6 THP engine up front linked to a six-speed manual and 115hp electric units sitting on the rear axles.
The run from 0 to 62 MPH from a standing start comes in 4 seconds, while the top speed is limited to 155mph, just like with the Germans. Peugeot also claims a CO2 emission figure of 70g/km.
To optimize weight balance, a 3kWh lithium-ion battery is housed under the rear seats in place of the fuel tank. In turn, the 50-liter (13.2 gallon) tank has been placed in the boot above the rear electric motor and two transformers.
You get four driving modes:
- Hot Lap Mode: everything on, 500hp and 538 lb-ft on tap
- Track Mode: 400hp and 390 lb-ft, mainly from the petrol engine and the rear electric motor. The front electric motor serves as an additional booster when accelerating.
- Road Mode: 300hp and 295 lb-ft. The petrol engine delivers its full potential, while the rear electric motor helps during accelerations. The front electric motor is not used in this mode.
- ZEV makes priority use of the rear electric motor. The front electric motor comes into play, depending on the pressure applied on the accelerator pedal.
Neat!
The 308 R Hybrid comes with four piston, 380mm ventilated discs at the front and 290mm discs at the rear. However, it can also decelerate using the electric motors.
In case that’s not enough, you can also recharge the batteries by using the front electric motor as a generator, driven by the petrol engine, or a rapid recharging terminal restoring the battery to its maximum power in 45 minutes.
With it’s front and rear tracks widened by 80mm, 235/35 R19 tires, two tone paint, rear spoiler and twin air scoops, it’s definitely a handsome hot hatch on the outside, while inside, Peugeot used a digital weaving technique to produce parts that are soft to the touch with no need for foam.
Lots of perforated leather, head-up display, flappy paddles, and two buttons on the central console complete the interior look.
I know all this feels very concept car like, but the Volvo XC90 T8 is living proof that we should expect to see more and more of these high horsepower hybrids in the future.
Kudos to Peugeot for putting this tech into a hatchback.
Update: An earlier version of this article said that this was a production car. It is a concept. We were very excited about it being real and jumped the gun. Sorry.
Photo credit: Peugeot