Peugeot is preparing to replace the current 407. Its successor, the 408 will be revealed in December 2009 and according to the French Magazine Auto Journal might look like this. The 408 will share the same platform as the current Citroen C5, but will clearly have its own identity.
Jerome Gallix, Peugeot’s design directory declared, "The new Peugeot will still be dynamic, but will feature a simpler design, more harmonious and more balanced." Translation: the 408 will be a revised car on the old car’s platform.
The big news is that next to the standard gasoline and diesel engine, the future 408 will also feature the HYmotion2 hybrid technology revealed by Peugeot in Paris.
Peugeot unveiled at the Paris Auto Show the RC HYmotion4, that according to AutoExpress previews the next generation of the mid-size 408. If this is true, earlier reports of the 407’s replacement looking only like a minor facelift will be dead wrong.
The RC concept uses a 1.6-liter THP turbo at the rear and a 70KW electric motor at the front. Although this is a functioning design study, the first engines available in the 408 will likely be more conventional.
If the 408 does take its cues heavily from the RC concept, then that may cause enough excitement to have North America ask Peugeot to return. Then again, there may be some forgiveness that needs to happen first.
Peugeot will replace in three years its current generation of its mid-size class (D-segment) sedan with the new 408. The French magazine AutoPlus revealed a few renderings that show us how the car might look like.
According to those pictures, the future 408 will keep the same shape as the current 407, the company wanted to suggest the car is indeed a Peugeot, but will also get design elements from the current 308.
Peugeot might revealed the first official sketches this year.
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