Peugeot Planning Performance Versions For Every Model It Sells

Peugeot’s plan to return to the US is up in the air as the French automaker joins a dozen others under the new Stellantis marquee, now the fourth-largest automaker in the world. However, while its future here remains uncertain, the company is in no short supply of ideas for other fun things. A new report from Auto Express has CEO Jean-Philippe Imparato saying that Peugeot wants to offer a performance version of every model it sells.

Imparato told the British magazine that the company plans to offer a range of sporty new models, telling the publication that the first one – the 508 Peugeot Sport Engineered – will “send a message.” Peugeot revealed the 508 PSE, the brand’s most powerful road car ever, in September. The plug-in hybrid powertrain combines a turbocharged 1.6-liter engine with two electric motors for a total output of 355 horsepower (265 kilowatts) and 384 pound-feet (520 Newton-meters) of torque. It can sprint to 62 miles per hour (100 kilometers per hour) in 5.2 seconds.

The news of a slew of sporty Peugeot models arrives just days after PSA Group and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles finalized their merger. The two now fall under the Stellantis name, which puts Peugeot in a stable of 12 other brands, and the merger could very well affect whether the US sees the Peugeot return to America. Last week, Imparato was quoted saying that the merger made the brand’s US return uncertain. That doesn’t mean it’s off the table yet, though the CEO wants to guarantee no overlap between products.

There are questions about which brands will continue under Stellantis. Slow-sellers like Chrysler and Lancia could disappear, or the company could get creative in reinvigorate those brands with some badge-engineered models. Either way, the 508 PSE arrives this year, with details of a new 308 coming in March. If Peugeot is adding performance versions to its lineup, we could expect a 308 PSE in the near future, too, plus much more.