The cover is off for French manufacturer Peugeot’s most significant step into the green car market yet as it unveils its new 3008 crossover.
The vehicle will be used as the platform for the first production application of the HYmotion4 all-wheel drive technology that was first unveiled on the Prologue HYbrid4 concept back at the Paris Motor Show last year.
The HYmotion4 technology implements a “through-the-road” design that provides hybrid all-wheel drive. A motor is mounted in either the rear or front of the vehicle, depending on whether the car is front-, or rear-engined.
When initially introduced to the public in Paris last year, the Prologue Hybrid4 concept car used a 2.0 litre HDi FAP engine boasting power of 120kW along with an electric motor that had a maximum capacity of 27kW. The vehicle can be driven in electric only mode to start up at speeds of less than 31mph as well as in diesel engine only mode at stable speeds on the open roads or highways.
The new 3008 has a choice of six engines including four diesel variations with lowest fuel consumption for the range at 48mpg with emissions at 130g/km of carbon dioxide (CO2).
The vehicle has also been boosted by weight reductions courtesy of a laser welding that has been used instead of normal spot welding and a number of lightweight materials. The all-wheel drive hybrid crossover is expected to be introduced before 2011.
