French carmaker Peugeot has certainly given us some
drastic variance in cars over the years; cue fantastic sporting GTi and World
Rally cars and then truly mediocre offerings like the 307 hatch and 407 sedan.
Whilst the current 508 mid-size saloon isn’t bad,
the market for mainstream European sedans is waning amongst a sea of opposition
from SUVs and crossovers and the move to more prestige brands, like BMW and
Audi. Peugeot thinks this tide can be reversed by offering a new generation 508
in a much more alluring suite. So let’s take an illustrated sneak peek.
To engage a much more youthful audience, the French
manufacturer has adopted a coupe-like, four door silhouette. Looks familiar,
you say? That’s because the new 508 is largely inspired by Peugeot’s 2014 Exalt
Concept, hence that sleek, frameless-window side profile, with scalloped upper
door panels and heavily-raked rear.
Frontal styling is aggressive too, with intersecting
quad headlamps, larger lower intake and powerful front grille. At the rear,
full-width tail lamps incorporate vertical LED brake elements - not too
dissimilar to the Ford Mustang’s rear lighting setup.
If you think the exterior looks good, the interior
will impress even more. Drastic improvements over the current 508 show a much
more futuristic interior, not too dissimilar to that of the 5008 crossover.
It also shares the latter’s i-Cockpit arrangement
that includes a large, crisp infotainment display and digital instrument
cluster. Practicality should improve with the shift to a lift-back body style,
like that of the Opel/Vauxhall Insignia and Buick Regal/Holden Commodore.
Based on the flexible EMP2 platform, the new 508
will be lighter, stiffer and more crash-resistant compared to the ageing
current model.Powertrains are expected to be shared with the 5008, including a
petrol 1.6-litre, turbocharged four, plus 1.6-litre and 2.0-litre diesels in
varying states of tune. Power will be sent to the front wheels through a new
automatic transmission, and it’s possible the 5008’s Advanced Grip Control
(which has normal, snow, sand, mud modes) will make an appearance. Hybrid
versions of the gasoline units will also be on offer, while an all-electric
model could be added later in the car’s lifecycle.
If fighting the tide of SUV’s is hard enough, the
508 will battle with offerings that are competing for the same shrinking market
share. Those competitors like the Ford Mondeo (Fusion), Opel Insignia, Mazda6,
VW Passat and Skoda Superb won’t make life easy for the Pug.
The sleek new 508 will debut in 2018 with sales
starting later that year in Europe and possibly Asia-Pacific.