Peugeot will be rolling out a fully electric variant of the recently launched 308 hatchback, reports Automotive News Europe. The latest, third-generation 308 has been prepared for electrification with its Efficient Modular Platform (EMP2) architecture, though this has been for hybrid powertrains such as the Hybrid 180 and 225 variants announced at the hatchback’s debut.
A Peugeot spokesperson confirmed to the news site that a fully electric version of the 308 has been approved for production in 2023, though adding that it was ‘too early’ to provide any further details, including what platform the forthcoming, fully electric version of the 308 would be built on. Separately, Peugeot CEO Linda Jackson confirmed to French site L’Argus that the 308 EV will emerge in 2023.
Fully electric powertrains can be accommodated by the EMP2 platform, Peugeot said previously, and according to Automotive News Europe this is likely to take the form of the eVMP electric vehicle architecture – itself a heavily reworked version of the EMP2 for pure EV applications.
The first pure EV to emerge with the eVMP platform will actually be the next-generation 3008 SUV, which has been slated for launch in 2023, the same year as the 308 EV’s expected debut. The electric hatchback will be built at parent firm, Stellantis‘ plant in Mulhouse, while the SUV will be manufactured in the Sochaux facility in eastern France, according to Automotive News Europe.
Stellantis is also in the process of integrating its electric drivetrain sources, with collaborations in the works with Nidec for electric drive motors, Punch Powertrain for transmissions and Total/Saft for battery cell production sites.
The forthcoming, fully electric version of the Peugeot 308 will be focused on efficiency, as Peugeot had previously stated that “the market for hot hatchbacks has collapsed,” according to Peugeot product director Jerome Micheron. This meant that there will neither be a successor to the 308 GTi, nor a Peugeot Sport Engineered version of a PHEV 308 in the vein of the Peugeot 508 PSE, as it would add more weight to the 308 than Peugeot want.
GALLERY: 2021 Peugeot 308
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