New Luxury Peugeot 508 Officially Unveiled

The all-new Peugeot 508 has been officially revealed following the leakout of the first photos earlier today. Available in sedan and station wagon body styles, the 508 replaces two cars in Peugeot's range, the 407 and 607. The French marque's Ford Mondeo and Volkswagen Passat contender will make its world debut at the Paris Motor Show in late September and go on sale early next year.

The 508 is the production version of the '5 by Peugeot' concept car seen in Geneva this past March, and according to Peugeot, it introduces the firm's new -and more subtle- design language as previewed on the SR1 Concept sports car. Expect to see the same type of grille finding its way on all future Peugeot models.

For the first time we get a look at the 508's interior, which according to the French carmaker, combines hi-tech features with the use of "high quality materials" both "visually and to the touch".

Based off the PSA Group's platform 3 that also underpins Citroen's C5 as well as the outgoing 407, the 508 sits between the 407 and 607 in terms of size. At 4.79 meters in length, the sedan variant of the 508 is about 100mm longer than the 407 saloon but 100mm shorter than the 607. The more practical Station Wagon model is slightly longer than the sedan measuring 4.81 meters in length.

Peugeot did not release many technical details on the 508, but it did confirm the availability of a HYbrid4 version after launch - most likely in mid 2011. This model will combine a turbo diesel engine mounted at the front of the car with an electric motor located at the rear, providing a combined output of 200-horsepower with all-wheel drive and emissions of 99g/km of CO2 or zero in electric mode.

The French automaker added that the 508 will be offered with a variety of diesel and petrol engines, all benefiting from the latest fuel-saving technologies such as a start and stop system.

The European market versions of the new 508 will be produced in Rennes in France, while Peugeot also revealed plans to build the car in China for the local market starting from next year.