Incroyable. The 2010 Paris Auto Salon is still a few months away, but the new 2011 Peugeot 508 sedan and station wagon have officially been unveiled online.
It's arguably an improvement over Peugeot's outgoing design language, which seemed hell-bent on adding a wild, gaping grille and headlamps that stretched from the fenders to the A-pillars. Instead, the 508 wears a clean, chiseled look -- though we wonder if the entire look is a touch too sedate.
While it's designed to replace Peugeot's former flagship, the 607 sedan, the car is actually based on the platform used in the smaller Citroen C5 and the outgoing 407. Looking at the specs, the 607 is roughly 10 millimeters longer than the 407, but 20 millimeters shy of the 607. Go figure.
Apart from dimensions, Peugeot's not releasing much concrete data surrounding the 508. We'd expect a range of gas and diesel engines to be offered, and Peugeot says a new start/stop system will be paired with the diesels to help boost fuel economy by as much as 15 percent. Fuel misers may wish to wait for a hybrid model due in 2012 that will reportedly offer both 200 horsepower and all-wheel-drive.
Thus far, Peugeot has revealed both a 508 sedan and a station wagon, but Autocar says a four-seat convertible, designed to target the Volvo C70, may also be under development. Sounds great, but can we please have the seductive SR1 concept put into production, s'il-vous-plait?
Et Vous? Is the 508 a giant leap forward for Peugeot, or will the company's new styling cues simply fade into the background? Send us your thoughts, critiques, and commentary below.