Peugeot UK Improves 508's Equipment Specs for a Small Increase in Price

French carmaker Peugeot is attempting to draw more buyers into its UK showrooms by enhancing the standard specifications of the 508 Saloonand SW (Station Wagon) models, while also simplifying the range with the elimination of the SR trim grade.

Beginning with the 'Access' level, it gains 16-inch alloy wheels and Bluetooth, while the 'Active' has been renamed to 'Active Navigation' and aside from the obvious addition (Peugeot Connect Navigation / RT6), it is upgraded with standard 18-inch rims, ‘GT’ style front grille, Peugeot Connect SOS and Assistance, rear parking aid and electric folding door mirrors.

Further up in the range, the 'Allure' model gains Xenon directional headlamps with Peugeot Smartbeam Assistance and headlamp washers, LED daytime running lights and front parking aid, while the GT, which is available exclusively with a 2.2-liter HDi 200PS, now features 19-inch wheels as well as front parking aid sensors. The range-topping 508 RXH diesel-electric hybrid remains unchanged.

Peugeot said that these equipment upgrades add £200 to the price of the ‘Access’, ‘Active’ and ‘Allure’, and £400 to ‘GT’.

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All-New and All-Important Peugeot 308 Hatchback Breaks Cover

Meet the new Peugeot 308; redesigned from the ground up to be a much more distinctive car than lackluster model it replaces. Gone is the bubbly styling and awkward proportioning, and in its place, we have a sleeker looking model with the wheels pushed back to the corners – it’s not bad. This is a more mature-looking hatch, with more chiseled features, clearer lines and a very stout and purposeful rear end.

At the front the, the 4.25 meter-long 308 sports an adaptation of Peugeot's new family face, featuring slim full-LED headlamps which, according to the French brand, are “standard on the majority of trim levels and a world-first in the segment” – we thought the SEAT Leon was first, though, only high-spec cars get the swanky new diodes, so that must count too.

There’s a lot to talk about with the new 308, beginning with the use of the new EMP2 modular platform, which sheds 140 kg (309 pounds) over the outgoing model, the claimed improvement in interior quality and its “button-less” design. The latter is apparently referred to as “i-cockpit” by the team behind it, so the center-mounted 9.7-inch touchscreen unit is the main focal point.

No specific engine details were revealed today, but an ultra-green and ultra-frugal version has been announced. It emits a claimed 85 g/Km CO2, making it exempt from various fares in select countries, or simply lesser taxes in others. All in all, we’re expecting the 308, which strangely retains the exact name of its uninspiring predecessor, to be better contender in its class that includes cars like the new VW Golf and Ford Focus.

I also think they’re trying to have a kind-of revival for the old 306, the last well-handling model they had in the class, boosting the image of their entire range with sporty cars like the 208 GTi(read our impressions of the car here) or the Pikes Peak monster.

Expect to see a GTi version of the new 308 being added to the range within the next year. However, one wonders what engine they’re going to use to power it since the 1.6-liter unit with 200 hp from the old 308 GTi and now in the 208 GTi, does not provide enough grunt(in its current state of tune) to put it on par with the class average. One option could be the engine used in the upcoming RCZ R, which was rated at 260hp on the concept version.

The world premiere of the new 308 will take place in September at the Frankfurt Motor Show with sales to follow shortly after.

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French Peugeot Dealer Launches 208 GTi Le Mans Special Edition

The makers of the limited run 208 Rallye from French Peugeot dealer "Clara Automobile" are back with another special edition model named the 208 GTi Le Mans that comes with some bespoke upgrades over the regular GTi.

While maintaining the stock 208 GTi's 197hp(200PS) 1.6-liter turbo engine and chassis setup, the Peugeot dealer's team outfitted hot hatch with the Engine Sound System, which is offered on the RCZ Coupe, but not on the 208 series. The system uses a diaphragm in the exhaust to produce added aural aggression at higher revs.

According to the dealer, the Le Mans edition also gains two tones alloy wheels, "LE MANS" decals on the sides, red trim accents inside, plus a 205 GTi scale model. Prices have not yet been released.

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Lil' Monster: Meet Sébastien Loeb's Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak Challenger

The French are coming to this year's edition of the famed Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (June 30) with Peugeot and nine-time world rally champion Sébastien Loeb who will be driving thenewly developed 208 T16, the first full pictures of which were released today along with a short promotional video that also features the 405 T16.

Peugeot hopes it can repeat the success it had with the 405 T16, which claimed back-to-back victories in 1988 and 1989, in the hands of Finnish rally driver Ari Vatanen and American former Indy Racing League driver and eight-time winner of the Pikes Peak International Hillclimb, Robby Unser, respectively.

Sébastien Loeb says he was "struck" and greatly inspired by the film ‘Climb Dance’ (see video below) that was produced to commemorate Vatanen’s success.

Not surprisingly, the 208 T16 has very little in common with the familiar French supermini with which it shares its name, though, Peugeot is still holding back on the details surrounding the mid-engine racer.

"Its proportions are very different to those of the production 208," states Michael Trouvé, who is in charge of silhouette design at Peugeot’s Styling Centre. “This difference gives it an almost beast-like appearance. Peugeot Sport provided us with a number of technical constraints, such as the width, body height, location of the wheels and engine, and we worked to this brief to produce an extreme take on the 208."

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