Thursday, June 17, 2010

Peugeot-Citroen Dangles Prospect of Small Diesel-Hybrid Minivan

Peugeot 3008 HYbrid 4 small minivan

Peugeot 3008 HYbrid 4 small minivan

Last week, we reported that Mitsubishi is taking steps to produce a diesel-electric car�in the form of the Lancer Evo diesel hybrid. Automotive News today reports that Peugeot-Citroen's first diesel-electric hybrid, the Peugeot 3008 HYbrid 4 small minivan, could be exported outside Europe.

The Peugeot 3008 HYbrid 4 goes on sale in Europe in March 2011. The automaker says the 3008 Hybrid 4 will produce just 99 grams per kilometer of CO2 despite offering 200 horsepower. The car's 2.0-liter diesel provides 163 horsepower to the front wheels, and an electric motor supplies 37 hp to the rear wheels. When Peugeot demonstrated the 3008 HYbrid concept at the Paris auto show in 2008, it said the vehicle could get 57 miles per gallon.

Peugeot-Citroen electric vehicles director Ayoul Grouvel told Automotive News Europe that subsidiaries in Australia, Brazil, China, Israel and Turkey are asking for hybrids. The auto markets in China and Brazil are experiencing wild growth, and would be enticing to Peugeot-Citroen.

The company believes that diesel-electric hybrids make sense to expand fuel-efficient offerings in Europe and Asia, but expects U.S. customers to choose gas-powered hybrids. And yet, U.S. hybrid fans have been screaming for a hybrid minivan for years. Could you imagine the reaction from greeny families to a small stylish hybrid minivan, with third-row seating (even if squeezed), running on biodiesel?

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Read More... [Source: HybridCars.com]

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