At the Paris Motor Show, Peugeot showcased the plug-in hybrid versions of the 3008 crossover and the 508 liftback and wagon. All three were showcased with a 1.6-liter, turbocharged, gasoline engine and dual electric motors that produced a combined output of almost 300 horsepower. If this wasn’t enough, Peugeot is now rumored to be working on electrified 508 ‘R.’

An Electrified Peugeot 508 Could Open New Doors

According to Motoring, a “senior insider” has said that Peugeot will be giving the new 508 the ‘R’ treatment with a plug-in hybrid setup and an all-wheel-drive system. Currently, the plug-in hybrid version of the 508 liftback and wagon are churning out almost 300 ponies. The ‘R’ badge will give them a slight bump up to a minimum of 350 horses. The powertrain will remain the same 1.6-liter turbocharged unit with two electric motors. However, the battery pack may be increased to a higher capacity. The current 508 has a 13.2-kWh battery pack for now.

Gilles Vidal, Peugeot’s design head has strongly hinted at the hot 508 ‘R’ by saying that there will probably be a performance version positioned above the 508 Plug-in Hybrid. Interestingly, he even went on to say that the 508 can easily accommodate 20-inch wheels and the go-faster model could even sport 21-inch wheels.

Conclusion

The 508 ‘R’ is more of a necessity for Peugeot now. The 508 series has not been doing great lately. In fact, the 508 RXH won’t even be offered in the new-gen lineup, as it didn't sell well enough numbers to convince Peugeot’s executives to go for an updated model.

Further reading

Read our full review on the 2018 Peugeot 508.

Read our full review on the 2019 Peugeot 508 SW GT.