French automaker Peugeot has unveiled its latest hybrid racing hypercar, which has no rear wing.
The Peugeot 9X8 Hybrid hypercar is equipped with a 200 kW electric motor powered by a 900-volt battery.
The numbers in the name hint at historical continuity with past prototypes, with the 908 in particular, and the X indicates hybrid and all-wheel drive.
“Since the 9X8 is a Peugeot, the original sketch that guided our work depicted a large, jump-ready cat – its position reflected in the slightly forward-looking cockpit. At the same time, the general lines are in line with the characteristic design of the brand,” notes Peugeot design director Matthias Hossann.
The Peugeot 9X8 hypercar is powered by a 680 hp V6 engine, a 2,000 kW electric motor powered by a 900 V battery developed by the French automaker in collaboration with another French company, Saft. It remains to be seen how Peugeot will balance the enormous combined power available for the hypercar to meet the Le Mans 24-hour race championship’s 680-hp maximum output rules.
Peugeot may have come up with a hypercar drivetrain mechanism to dynamically balance the power output of the two power sources to meet race requirements.
Two Peugeot 9X8 hypercars will compete in the FIA World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC) in 2022, including the iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans race with a total distance of 5,400 km that the cars cover in 24 hours.
Some details about the Peugeot concept car have yet to be revealed, especially its top speed. The new hypercar was shown only in the studio, but already this month there will be a public debut at Monza – as part of the next round of the WEC races.
Olivine Green and Vertigo Blue shades were shown at the online presentation, but customers will also be able to get the new 308 in Elixir Red, White Banquise Grey, Pearl White, Black Perla Nera and Artense (silver). A variety of rims are available in diameters ranging from 16 to 18 inches.
Like almost all cars going into the next generation, the 308 is larger than the model it replaces. The hatchback is stretched at once by 11 cm (to 4.36 meters). Axle spacing was increased by 55 mm (to 2675 mm), but the body became even 2 cm lower (to 1.44 meters), thanks to which it was possible to reduce the drag coefficient to 0.28. The volume of the trunk was reduced from 470 to 412 liters.