No, the French are not completely abandoning hybrid technologies; for now they are abandoning hybrids based on diesel engines in favor of gasoline ones. There are reasons for this.
The head of the French brand, Maxime Picat, told our colleagues from Autocar that Peugeot will abandon the use and further development of diesel-electric powertrains.
He said: "We have truly efficient hybrid diesel powertrains, but when many countries do not use this type of fuel, we have to change plans. We must ensure that we offer the same technologies in Europe, China, Norway, and all countries."
According to him, the development and production of diesel-electric powertrains is a costly process, so producing cars with such units is only profitable in large series. The market is not yet ready to absorb such a number of hybrid cars of the French brand. The company will shift its efforts to creating and implementing gasoline-electric units with the ability to recharge from the grid.
Let us remind our readers that today the French company's lineup of powertrains includes two diesel hybrids. The first is the all-road station wagon 508 RXH, and the second is the 3008 crossover version – Hybrid4. They have a two-liter diesel turbo engine with 163 hp combined with a 37-hp electric motor and a six-speed robotic gearbox. Lithium-ion batteries are used as storage. The total output of the powertrain is 200 horsepower.
