The Peugeot 3008 crossover is a sporty looking thing, and even in GT-Line guise can make you not only think twice about challenging it in a straight sprint but also make you linger a little longer on its fine exterior details.
But in truth, the boffins at the Peugeot headquarters have been mulling on the idea of introducing more power to the 3008 but haven’t found the right method of implementation when the car introduction spec was being finalised.
Speaking with AutoExpress, though, the automaker’s product director Laurent Blanchet revealed that a hot 3008 should be on the cards for a 2019 launch, but with a petrol-electric hybrid powertrain that’ll put “more or less 300hp” to the road in an all-wheel drive configuration. The current 3008 GT boasts a 2.0-litre BlueHDi turbodiesel with 132kW and 400Nm.
Further, the hybrid 3008 - earmarked to be called the GT and not GTi, despite the performance - will be of the plug-in variety, meaning you’ll be able to get the battery reserves topped up from the main at your home overnight or at a charging station.
The efficiency and performance gains from augmenting a traditional combustion engine with an electric motor are well documented, but Peugeot hopes to introduce the technology for those same benefits at more approachable price points. In the 3008’s case, it will have more power than any current competitor while returning comparable fuel economy.
This new crossover is expected to be a volume seller and should mark the beginning of Peugeot’s sweep of mild electrification in their cars, as Blanchet continues, “The 3008 with the technology I have mentioned will arrive in 2019, and then we will develop a PHEV for all of our range.” In the same year, Peugeot will introduce an all-electric 208, with power and range capability to rival a Renault ZOE.”
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