It’s official: Peugeot has chosen to name its new sedan 408. What do we know about the one that intends to reinvent the segment, and which will be revealed at the end of June?
New Peugeot 408 (2022) – After long months plunging the automotive press into expectation as to the final name of the new Peugeot, the manufacturer at the Lion finally unveils the sacred number retained for this sedan with an unexpected concept.
308 SUV, 4008, 408 Crossover… numerological hypotheses have followed one another at a frantic pace, for more than a year, after the gossip that announced the introduction ofan unprecedented silhouette within the Sochaux range. But Peugeot finally set its sights on a name that could not be more classic: 408as evidenced by the first photo identifying this breakaway sedan, compared to the standards of the category.
Mi-berline, mi-SUV
Immortalized by our scoop hunters under a thick camouflage, it looks like a raised sedan inspired by the codes applied to the recent Citroën C5 X. Higher on the legs than the classic station wagons, it adopts certain gimmicks from the world of SUVs in an attempt to seduce customers acquired for more than 10 years in the cause of crossovers. But the Peugeot 408 will stand out from its Chevron cousin by its fastback type roof drop in order to upset a segment that has fallen into disuse.
Top notch roominess
Approaching the size of its big sister 508, it will nevertheless rest on the elongated platform of the lower category station wagon, the 308 SW. A long vehicle already promising in terms of habitability with regard to its generous wheelbase. It remains to be seen which engines will be retained by this Peugeot 408, potentially positioned in a high-end niche. It could only retain plug-in hybrid blocksstarting with those accumulating 180 and 225 hp, under the hood of the 308. But its move upmarket could open the doors to more muscular PHEV variants with 300 hp, or even 360 hp if it had to rely on the Peugeot department. Sport Enginereed, at the origin of the eponymous Peugeot 508.
See you at the end of June, on Auto-Moto, to discover the all-new Peugeot 408 in its entirety, in video.
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