Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Frankfurt 2009: Peugeot RCZ is our kind of French connection]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/09/16/frankfurt-2009-peugeot-rcz-is-our-kind-of-french-connection/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/09/16/frankfurt-2009-peugeot-rcz-is-our-kind-of-french-connection/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/09/16/frankfurt-2009-peugeot-rcz-is-our-kind-of-french-connection/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


Peugeot RCZ - Click above for high-res image gallery

Some things are worth waiting for. Take the Peugeot RCZ, for example. French auto giant PSA has been talking about putting the RCZ into production since initially unveiling it as a concept car in this very hall back in 2007. And that day has finally arrived with the unveiling of the production-ready coupe here in Frankfurt.

The critics may say the styling is too close to the Audi TT, but to our eyes that's no bad thing. And while there are certainly some TT-esque design traits coming through, there is plenty to set this apart as uniquely Peugeot. Sporting a Zagato-style double-bubble roof and muscular wheel arches, the RCZ is easily the most stylish French car this side of a Bugatti.

Mechanically, it's based on the 308 hatchback, but the svelte coupe has dropped the numeric moniker on the road to production. Engines include 1.6-liter turbo fours with 156 or 200 horsepower and a 2-liter turbodiesel with 163 ponies. Also available with the oil-burning mill is a hybrid drivetrain supplemented by a 37-horsepower electric motor that matches the top gas engine's output while upping the ante with all-wheel-drive and environmental bragging rights. Have a closer look in the gallery below.


Gallery: Frankfurt 2009: Peugeot RCZ


Frankfurt 2009: Peugeot RCZ is our kind of French connection originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 16 Sep 2009 14:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>2009 frankfurt2009 frankfurt auto show2009 frankfurt motor show2009Frankfurt2009FrankfurtAutoShow2009FrankfurtMotorShow308308 rcz308Rczfrankfurtfrankfurt 2009frankfurt auto showfrankfurt motor showfrankfurt motor show 2009Frankfurt2009FrankfurtAutoShowFrankfurtMotorShowFrankfurtMotorShow2009peugeotpeugeot 308peugeot rczPeugeot308PeugeotRczrczWed, 16 Sep 2009 14:19:00 EST<![CDATA[Peugeot releases first official teasers of 308 RC Z]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/07/14/peugeot-releases-first-official-teasers-of-308-rc-z/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/07/14/peugeot-releases-first-official-teasers-of-308-rc-z/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/07/14/peugeot-releases-first-official-teasers-of-308-rc-z/#commentsFiled under: ,

Peugeot 308 RC Z pre-production teasers - Click above for high-res image gallery

For a country so renowned for its style and fashion, you'd think France would have plenty of stylish automobiles on offer, but that's not necessarily the case. Though the country's hatchbacks and MPVs may look a touch sharper than the competition's, above that there's nothing especially stylish until you get to the seven-figure territory covered by such ultramobiles as the Bugatti Veyron and GTbyCitroen. Peugeot aims to fix that, though, with the 308 RC Z, though to some eyes it's design was influenced a bit too heavily by the Audi TT.

In case you've lost track by now, the 308 RC Z made its debut in concept form three long years ago. A lot has happened since then, including PSA's approval for the swept-roof coupe to enter production followed by recent spy shots demonstrating that its making good on its promise. And now Peugeot has released the first crop of teaser images showing the production-ready 308 RC Z. Tipped to carry the same jointly-developed turbocharged engine as the Mini JCW, the stylish Peugeot is expected to debut at the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show in September.


Gallery: Peugeot 308 RC Z pre-production teasers


[Source: Autoblog Spanish]

Peugeot releases first official teasers of 308 RC Z originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 14 Jul 2009 10:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Judging by this latest round of spy shots taken by shooters in Spain, Peugeot's 308 RC Z is almost ready to take on the Audi TT which it so openly apes.

Said to be powered by the 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder borrowed from Mini's John Cooper Works in its most powerful incarnation, the RC Z figures to be down on power to the German, so it's good that it figures to be less expensive as well. According to source at Pug, prices figure to start below below £20,000 (circa $33k USD), a useful savings over the Audi.

Other powertrains are also said to be in the mix, all with lower power (a 150 hp 1.6-liter turbo, as well as a 2.0-liter HDI engine giving either 150 bhp or 163 bhp). The 308 RC Z is widely expected to be offered in a front-drive only configuration, so the coupe figures to only challenge lower-end non-Quattro TT models.

The production RC Z is expected to debut at this fall's Frankfurt Auto Show - three years after it debuted in concept form - and go on sale next spring. Thanks for the tip, Andrus!


Gallery: Peugeot 308 RC Z


[Sources: Fastestcar.com; Autocar]

Spy Shots: Production Peugeot 308 RC Z said to be racing toward Frankfurt originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 11 Jun 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Audi TTAudiTtfrankfurt auto showfrankfurt motor showFrankfurtAutoShowFrankfurtMotorShowPeugeot 308Peugeot RC ZPeugeot308PeugeotRcZRC ZRcZThu, 11 Jun 2009 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Geneva 2008: Peugeot 308 GT THP 175]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/03/04/geneva-2008-peugeot-308-gt-thp-175/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/03/04/geneva-2008-peugeot-308-gt-thp-175/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/03/04/geneva-2008-peugeot-308-gt-thp-175/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Click the pic above to see a hi-res gallery of the Peugeot 308 GT THP 175

If you want a MINI, but you'd rather it looked and felt like a Peugeot 308, then this is the car for you. It's got the same engine that Peugeot makes for BMW's kleine Wunder-brand, but it's got all that chunky Peugeot goodness that MINI couldn't wouldn't ever replicate. And not only will you get 175-HP, a Scrabble-icious combination of letters and numbers, and mirrors with a Dumbo-esque flavor, but 37.1-MPG frugality is yours for the taking. Check out the hi-res gallery below for a closer look at the swifty, thrifty Pug.

Gallery: Geneva 2008: Peugeot 308 GT THP 175

Geneva 2008: Peugeot 308 GT THP 175 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 04 Mar 2008 10:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Click the image above for hi-res shots of the Peugeot 308SW

The Peugeot 308SW (for SportWagon), on the show floor, does not look like a big car. It certainly doesn't look big enough to swallow seven full-sized people. On the rotating podium, however, the car looked almost monstrous. Get inside, and the car appears to be even larger. If you sit in the driver's seat in Geneva, the rear hatch lies somewhere around Lichtenstein. It's that capacious. As with so many French things, the pics don't do it justice, but have a look at the gallery of hi-res photos to see if you can see what we see.

Gallery: Geneva 2008: Peugeot 308 SW

Geneva 2008: Peugeot 308SW says big and funky in French originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 04 Mar 2008 09:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>genevageneva 2008geneva auto showgeneva motor salongeneva motor showGeneva2008GenevaAutoShowGenevaMotorSalonGenevaMotorShowhatchbackspeugeotpeugeot 308peugeot 308swPeugeot308Peugeot308swTue, 04 Mar 2008 09:57:00 EST<![CDATA[Frankfurt Preview: Peugeot's 69 MPG 308 Hybride HDi Concept]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/08/31/frankfurt-preview-peugeots-69-mpg-308-hybride-hdi-concept/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/08/31/frankfurt-preview-peugeots-69-mpg-308-hybride-hdi-concept/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/08/31/frankfurt-preview-peugeots-69-mpg-308-hybride-hdi-concept/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,


Click image for photo gallery

"HYBRID!" "DIESEL!" Arguments about which one's the better everyday fuel economy solution sound like old Miller Lite commercials sometimes. Next month in Frankfurt, Peugeot's going to show off its latest stab at mashing them together with the 308 Hybride HDi show car, and if there was ever a happy medium, this might be it. Due as a production vehicle in 2010, the 308 Hybrid combines a stingy-to-begin-with 110 HP 1.6L diesel with an electric motor that produces an additional 22 horsepower. Power's channeled to the front wheels through a 6-speed gearbox that can be operated in full automatic or sequential manual modes. The net result places the hybrid on essentially equal footing with the standard-production 308 2.0L diesel.

Performance numbers are basically the same, with the Hybrid delivering better in-gear acceleration than the regular diesel car. Naturally, it also boasts big-time fuel economy numbers. In the combined-cycle, it gets 69 miles to the gallon (yes, the US gallon). In urban driving, the number goes up to 78 MPG. All the usual hybrid traits are found here. At startup and at low speeds, the electric motor provides motivation, and when the diesel kicks in, the car will call upon the electric powerplant to help with acceleration when necessary. Stop-start tech is standard, of course. The 308 Hybrid concept also has a Zero Emissions mode that's designed to let the car operate freely in "heavily regulated urban centres" (hello, London!). And even when it's not running as a ZEV, its emissions output complies with the Euro 5 standards coming in 2009. The 308 hybrid emits just 90 g/km of CO2 vs the 308 2.0 diesel's 146 g/km.

All of that in a package that is nicely equipped, including a panoramic roof. If Peugeot can keep the production vehicle's pricing generally in line with the rest of the 308 range, they might find Europeans lining up, checkbooks in hand in a couple of years.

[Source: Peugeot]

Gallery: Peugeot 308 Hybride HDi Concept

Continue reading Frankfurt Preview: Peugeot's 69 MPG 308 Hybride HDi Concept

Frankfurt Preview: Peugeot's 69 MPG 308 Hybride HDi Concept originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 31 Aug 2007 21:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Click image for a gallery of the Peugeot 308

In our minds, the number 308, as it pertains to cars, is inextricably tied to Ferrari, and by extension, one Thomas Magnum, whose 308 GTS was one of the cooler TV rides of the 80s. Unfortunately, the number will soon be associated with Peugeot's "gaping maw" front end treatment on the new 308 hatch. Regardless of how anyone feels about Pug's corporate schnoz, it's very...um, distinctive, and naturally, it adorns the automaker's newest 5-door. The photos here leaked earlier in the week, and there's no official release to accompany them yet (that will come on June 5, according to WorldCarFans).

The prevailing wisdom, however, is that is that the 308 will launch with the BMW-PSA 120-horsepower 1.6L four cylinder (also used in the Mk2 MINI Cooper). A range of diesels will also be available, and as previously reported, PSA's diesel-electric Hybride HDi system is also going to be in the mix. That powertrain should be good for something in the neighborhood of 69 mpg in the combined-cycle, which is obviously fantastic. Finally, an E85-capable engine will also be offered.

A wagon and coupe+convertible will join the hatchback later on, and a spunky, turbocharged 308 RC is expected sometime in the future. All these new 308s may well be fine cars, but we'd still rather have the kind with that horse on the hood...

[Source: WorldCarFans]

Gallery: Peugeot 308

Call Magnum, there's a new 308! Oh wait, it's a Peugeot... originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 27 May 2007 14:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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