Peugeot auto news

Breaking: Peugeot exiting Le Mans racing effective immediately

PSA Peugeot Citroën has announced the French automaker will leave Le Mans racing indefinitely. Reuters reports the manufacturer cites financial issues as the reason for the drastic move, saying Peugeot will now focus its efforts on improving its sales performance in 2012. For its part, Peugeot has issued an official statement confirming the development on its motorsports site, which you can read after the jump.

Peugeot is currently Europe's second-largest vehicle manufacturer, though the company has suffered a string of thinning profit reports in recent months. Last year, Phillippe Varin, Peugeot's chief executive, announced a plan to save the company $1.03 billion in 2012 through a variety of tactics, including 6,000 job cuts. We now know the company's impressive Le Mans racing effort is a casualty of cost savings as well.

Of all the rivalries in motorsports, few have been as entertaining or heated as the one that blossomed between Peugeot and Audi at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Peugeot swiped the crown from its German rivals in 2009 with its futuristic, diesel-powered 908 prototype, though Audi has won the legendary race seven out of the last eight years. That loss, however, forced Audi to abandon the open cockpit design of its R15 and earlier models in favor of a closed dome on the new R18.

Interestingly enough, Reuters reports Peugeot sister company Citroën won't turn its back on the World Rally Championship.

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Official: Citro"en C1 / Peugeot 107 twins refreshed

Citroën and Peugeot have released the first volley of information and images on their refreshed C1 and 107 runabouts. The Citroen C1 will bow with a new face, complete with a shorter hood, redesigned foglamp housings and new LED daytime running lights. The vehicle's rear valance has also received a few design touches to differentiate it from the previous year model. Buyers can expect to find the same 68-horsepower three-cylinder gasoline engine bolted to a manual transmission under the hood.

Not surprisingly, its mechanical twin, the Peugeot 107, has received a similar once over. Designers have graced the three-door with a reworked front fascia that features a new front bumper, foglight housings and LED daytime running lights, just like its Citroën cousin. Peugeot will also offer the 107 in three trim levels: Access, Active and Allure.

The Citroën C1 will be on display at the Brussels Motor Show starting on January 10, and it's probably fair to assume the Pug will make the scene there as well. Hit the jump for press releases on both of these small hatchbacks.

Continue reading Citro"en C1 / Peugeot 107 twins refreshed

Official: Peugeot tackles supermini market with new 208 [w/video]

Superminis are big business for European automakers, and Peugeot has just released its latest salvo in the form of its new 208.

Available in both three- and five-door body-styles, the 208 represents a complete overhaul of the French carmaker's core model. Its wheelbase is the same as the 207 it replaces, but while overall exterior dimensions have shrunken, Peugeot says interior volume has increased.

Meanwhile, weight has decreased, and the new 208 range is motivated by a pair of 1.0- and 1.2-liter gasoline engines with about 75 and 100 horsepower, respectively, designed to replace the 207's 1.4 and 1.6 models, with a range of five diesel engines paired with stop-start ignition and hybrid assist on most models to return exceptional fuel economy and emissions figures.

The new Pug range is certainly distinctively styled, particularly the three-door shown above, with its sculpted doors and unusual chrome trim flourish at the rear of the windowline (a treatment not shown on the family-oriented five-door). The interior is no less interesting, with unusual ambient lighting elements on select models and a premium-look dashboard.

Peugeot is also expected to roll out a 208 GTI based on the three-door that promises to channel much of the beloved 205 GTI hot hatch's sporting characteristics in the new form. That may still be a year away, but for now, you can check out the standard models in the high-res image gallery and the press release and video after the jump.

Continue reading Peugeot tackles supermini market with new 208 [w/video]

Report: Peugeot-Citro"en chopping 6,000 jobs in Europe

Automotive News reports that the French auto conglomerate is looking to cut fixed costs by 800 million euros ($1.1 billion USD) next year, and job cuts will be part of the plan. PSA will reportedly terminate 6,000 European jobs next year, with 1,000 cuts to manufacturing, 2,500 lost contractors and another 2,500 from sales, marketing, research and IT.

The auto market in Europe has suffered from a rise in pricing pressures. PSA felt the pinch with a 1.6 percent drop in automotive revenue during the quarter. Overall revenue actually increased by 3.5 percent due to PSA's majority ownership of parts maker Faurecia SA. PSA has changed its outlook for 2011 from "clearly positive" to something closer to break even.

Official: Peugeot begins track-testing 908 diesel hybrid

Diesel propulsion isn't anything new in Le Mans-class endurance racing. Hybrids are still a rarity, but even when Toyota returns to Le Mans with a hybrid LMP1 next year, it won't be alone. That's because Peugeot is preparing to chart new territory with the 908 Hybrid4.

The latest evolution of the 908 prototype incorporates a competition version of PSA's Hybrid4 system, which uniquely pares a diesel engine with electric assist. We first saw the new racer in Geneva last March, but the 908 Hybrid4 has now undergone its first shake-down test at the Estoril track in Portugal that once hosted the Portuguese Grand Prix and continues to host the Six Hours of Estoril in the Le Mans Series.

Test-driving duties were performed by Nicolas Minassian, Stephane Sarrazin and Alex Wurz, who report that the added boost from the hybrid drivetrain was already evident in the 300 kilometers (186 miles) of testing at the circuit. Follow the jump for the full press blast and click on to the gallery for a pair of fresh images from the test added to the initial studio shots.

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Rumormill: Peugeot to produce HX1 flagship luxury crossover?

French automaker Peugeot has had an interesting back and forth lately when it comes to its flagship model. The big 607 sedan was discontinued a couple of years back due to lackluster sales, replaced by the new 508 that also succeeded the smaller 407 sedan. Then reports began sprouting up that the Lion marque was planning on turning that into a crossover wagon similar to the approach taken by Audi with the A6 Allroad or Volvo with the XC70.

We figured that's what we were looking at when the company unveiled the 508 RXH diesel hybrid in Frankfurt, but at the same time Peugeot also showcased the HX1 concept - a sort of luxury crossover that was more similar in concept to the Mercedes-Benz R-Class than the Audi Allroad.

Now the rumormill suggests that Peugeot could put the HX1 into production as its new flagship model, sitting above the 508 and its high-riding RXH counterpart. PSA's adaptable Hybrid 4 drivetrain could offer nearly 300 horsepower driving all four wheels through a combination of internal-combustion and electric motors. And while we're just spitballing here, if sister-company Citroën moves ahead with plans to produce the Metropolis concept, parent company PSA could have a business case on its hands.

Video: Old Peugeot 205 GTI spot proves why CGI stinks

"Back in the All or Nothing days, the Vanishing Point days, the Dirty Larry Crazy Mary days, the White Line Fever days, real cars smashed into real cars with real dumb people driving them."

- Stunt Man Mike, Death Proof

Or in this case, real planes smashing into real cars. Call us old fashioned, but Computer-Generated Imagery has all but ruined film and advertising. In the old days, you'd have to actually find a way to breed human-sized hamsters and teach them to drive a Kia Soul if you wanted a set of Hamstars to peddle your wares. Now we just turn to our computer graphics department and ask them to make it happen. Why is that such a bad thing, you ask? Look no further than this classic ad for the Peugeot 205 GTI.

Not only does this old clip feature the French hatch bouncing down the side of a snowy mountain and dashing across a frozen lake, there are explosions, a full-size cargo plane skimming mere feet from the Pug's roof and plenty of sliding around in the powder. James Bond would be proud. What does all of this tell us about the 205 GTI? Not a damn thing, and that's fine by us. Hit the jump for a look at the clip.

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Frankfurt: Peugeot 508 RXH hybrid crossover sips down diesel, gets 56 mpg

The spotlight at the Peugeot stand here in Frankfurt was directed on one limited edition Peugeot 508 RXH and the French automaker's HX1 concept. But alongside the copper-colored crossover and sleek MPV was the less-exclusive, non-limited version of the 508 RXH.

Peugeot says all 508 RXH crossovers feature the automaker's through-the-road HYbrid4 technology, which employs a 163-horsepower 2.0-liter HDi diesel engine to drive the front wheels and a 37-hp electric motor to spin the rears. Combined, the diesel-electric hybrid drive unit delivers up to 200 horsepower and cranks out 332 pound-feet of torque.

The 508 RXH is capable of electric-only operation, though Peugeot has not yet revealed the crossover's "zero-emissions" range. The automaker says the 508 RXH is quite the fuel-sipper, consuming less than 4.2 liters of diesel per 100 kilometers (56 miles per gallon U.S.) on the combined cycle. Meanwhile, the diesel hybrid emits only 109 g/km of CO2.

The 508 RXH will go on sale in spring of 2012 and Peugeot says its HYbrid4 technology will be added to more vehicles in the near future. Follow the jump for full details on the diesel-sipping 508 and check out live pics in our high-res gallery.

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Frankfurt: Peugeot HX1 concept is one unusually sleek plug-in MPV [w/video]

Under design guru Gilles Vidal, Peugeot is starting to show off its an adventurous maturity, as seen in the HX1 six-seat concept revealed today at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show.

Powered by the Peugeot's through-the-road HYbrid4 technology and using a 2.2-liter HDi diesel instead of the automaker's 2.0-liter oil burner, the HX1 combines good power - 299 bhp - with astonishingly low fuel consumption of 73.5 miles per gallon equivalent (U.S.) and CO2 emissions of only 83 grams per kilometer. And with its plug-in capability, Peugeot says the HX1 features a useful electric-only range of 18.6 miles.

Design-wise, the HX1 concept features a windscreen pulled so far to the front that it's more "cab-in-the-next-country" than "cab forward." Add in a quartet of unusual scissor doors and the HX1 takes most elements that make up a typical MPV and, well, reinvents them.

What's truly ingenious in the HX1 are its second-row seats, which literally pull right out of the back side of the front seats.

Outside, trick aerodynamic elements deploy at speed, off the rear of the HX1 and from the wheels. Follow the jump for more details on the HX1 including a video, then check out the concept's wizardry in our high-res image gallery.

Continue reading Peugeot HX1 concept is one unusually sleek plug-in MPV [w/video]

Official: Peugeot HX1 concept revealed ahead of Frankfurt

Peugeot has released a few images of its HX1 Concept car ahead of the vehicle's debut at this year's Frankfurt Motor Show. The low-slung MPV can seat up to six adults while retaining a remarkably low drag coefficient of just 0.28. That's thanks to a few clever design tricks like wheel blades that open up to form a flat surface, as well as some clever side skirt and spoiler work.

As you might expect, that's not the only show-circuit wizardry that the HX1 has to offer. Occupants enter and exit via five rear-hinged half-scissor doors. Additionally, a center row of seating can be created by a set of pull-out buckets integrated into the front seats.

Not surprisingly, the HX1 gets its power from a plug-in hybrid drivetrain. A 204-horsepower 2.4-liter turbo-diesel engine provides power to the front wheels while an electric motor takes care of spinning the rear tires. All told, the vehicle produces 299 horsepower while returning 88.2 miles per gallon. Hit the jump for the press release.

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