Peugeot spotted testing 207 hatchback and 508 sedan in India

Peugeot, the French carmaker, is making a comeback in India and has begun testing its cars on Indian soil. A few test cars were spotted recently on the Mumbai-Pune expressway without any camouflage.

Team-Bhp member has taken the spy photos of the Peugeot 207 hatchback and the Peugeot 508 luxury sedans on the Mumbai expressway carrying temporary MH (Maharshtra) registration number plates.

Peugeot 207

The 207 is Peugeot’s premium hatchback and if launched in India, would compete with the Maruti Suzuki Swift, Hyundai i20 etc. The 207 sold in international markets, measures 4,045 mm in length, 1972 mm in width and 1,472 mm in height.

But at a length of 4,045 mm it is 45 mm longer than the Indian government’s small car definition. Hence, the French car maker could chop off the rear bumper a little bit and reduce the front overhang (particularly at the front bumper) or both, so as to make the 207 quality for the small car excise norms in the country.

The 207’s front face is dominated by a large sized Peugeot logo at the centre and a large air dam integrated into the front bumper that makes the car look bigger that it actually is. The headlamp design seems is contemporary, stretching up the fenders. The outside rear view mirrors are stalk mounted and add to the width of the car considerably.

The side profile of the 207 has a practically designed glass house area at the front, but tapers towards the rear. The doors are asymmetric; the front larger than the rear doors, hinting that the 5-door 207 has been chiseled out from the 3-door 207. The rear of the 207 is quite curvy and the flared fenders again give it a wide stance.

Peugeot 508

The 508 is a luxury sedan that would likely be pitched against the Skoda Laura, Renault Fluence and Chevrolet Cruze. The 508 is a dynamic car with an unmistakable European design theme.

The front of the 508 has a floating-style single, large grille accompanied by well-sculpted headlamp units comprising LED daytime running lamps as well as bi-xenon directional headlamps. The car’s hood gets purposeful contours that highlight the large Peugeot logo.

From the sides, the car has a conventional low-stance profile, and a longer front overhang than the rear. The chrome-edged windows give a premium feel. The roof slopes toward the rear like a Coupe and thus hides the car’s length. The tail-lamp cluster has a pair of three vertical rows of LED lights. The trunk is slightly raised and gets a thin horizontal chrome line that accentuates the car’s width.

In international markets, the Peugeot 508 is powered by a 1.6-litre e-HDi FAP diesel engine that produces 112 bhp of maximum power and 285 Nm of maximum torque. The engine will come with either a 5-speed/6-speed manual gearbox or a 6-speed automatic gearbox.

Safety features in the 508 include dual front airbags and curved head restraints in the front, with integral multi-position adjustment.

Conclusion

Earlier, there were reports that the French carmaker had met government officials in Tamil Nadu and in Gujarat too. There were rumors that Peugeot would build a factory in Andhra Pradesh (Read more).  However, Peugeot is yet to finalize its location for a manufacturing plant in India and is clearly still conducting field trials of its vehicle range.

Peugeot is expected to start its second innings in India by launching a hatchback (207), a premium sedan (508) and an MPV (3009, currently under development).

(Source: Team-bhp)