Peugeot goes electric in new-gen 2008

PEUGEOT has confirmed that its new second-generation 2008 small SUV will get an all-electric variant when it goes on sale in Europe next year.

 

Called e-2008, the plug-in Pug will be powered by the same 100kW electric motor and 50kWh lithium-ion battery pack as the closely related e-208 light hatchback that was revealed at the Geneva motor show in March ahead of its showroom roll-out in Europe in the second half of this year.

 

The French company is claiming a 310km driving range for the e-2008 under the new European WLTP testing regime. The under-floor battery is said to be capable of being charged to 80 per cent of capacity in just 30 minutes on a high-power 100kW charger, but up to 20 hours for a full charge on a domestic socket.

 

e-2008 owners will be able to use an app to remotely set charging times and start heating or cooling from their phone, while also checking battery charge levels.

 

Peugeot’s Australian distributor Inchcape has confirmed it is weighing up its options on the new 2008 and 208 ranges, saying drivetrains, pricing and launch timing are all yet to be decided.

 

Neither model can be expected before 2020, as Europe will only start getting the 208 in the last quarter of this year, followed by the 2008 in 2020.

 

Apart from the electric powertrain, the European 2008 will also be available with petrol and diesel engines, with the petrol variants exclusively powered by the 1.2-litre three-cylinder engine in three states of tune mated variously with six-speed manual and eight-speed automatic transmissions.

 

The diesel will be the 1.5-litre BlueHDi four-cylinder unit, connected exclusively with a six-speed manual gearbox.

 

Peugeot Automobiles Australia sells the current 2008 in three two-wheel-drive variants – Active, Allure and GT Line – all with the 1.2-litre engine. No diesel is available – a situation that no doubt will continue in the new-generation line-up, assuming it gets the tick for Australia.

 

Like the 208, the 2008 sits on Peugeot-Citroen’s new Common Modular Platform (CMP) that has been designed to accommodate all these different powertrains.

 

This version is 140mm longer than before, at 4300mm, allowing for a slighter bigger boot at 360 litres, even on the e-2008. Width is 1700mm and height 1540mm.

 

Styling includes Peugeot’s trademark three-claw tail-lights, this time with LED globes. Instead of a conventional grille, the e-2008 has a chequered fascia in body colour.

 

The 2008 will get high-end safety and driver assistance systems, including a range of functions that point to semi-autonomous driving.

 

These include lane-keeping assist and adaptive cruise control with stop and go on vehicles fitted with the automatic transmission.

 

High-speed autonomous braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, blind-spot alert with course correction, parking assist, automatic headlights and speed-limit recognition are among other inclusions.

 

The 2008 gets the latest version of Peugeot’s acclaimed i-Cockpit that this time includes hologram technology in the head-up display, along with the digital dash seen over the top of the compact steering wheel.

 

A central 10.0-inch touchscreen includes Tom Tom sat-nav, plus smartphone mirroring via Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

 

For Europe, specifications levels will be Active, Allure GT-Line and GT.

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