The 308 R Hybrid showcases Peugeot’s lesser known side of a penchant for madness.

The 308 R Hybrid showcases Peugeot’s lesser known side of a penchant for madness. Google (Peugeot Group B Rally)

Don’t adjust your eyes. The bizarre paint scheme is official. Admittedly here in SA we associate the Peugeot brand with dainty headlamps, soft lines and a general cuddliness that has endeared the models with more female buyers. But this is not the case with the French car maker. In truth, it is a naughty brand that many overseas markets view with the boyish delinquency of Subaru. This is because much like the be-winged Japanese brand Peugeot is also a home brand in the World Rally Championship (WRC). It’s also now a name in the famed Dakar Rally.

This company knows how to excite and awe and what the company has just recently shown, you can be sure to include bold threats in its scope of capabilities. This here is the 308 R Hybrid. It’s powered by a 1600cc four-cylinder THP petrol engine (same motor as in Mini Cooper S) that develops 199kW and 330Nm. The engine is then married to a pair of electric motors, each worth 85 kW and 200Nm and linked to a 3kWh/ 400 Volt Lithium-ion battery. Power is sent to the wheels via 4 wheel drive system.

Essentially you are looking a hatchback that packs 398kW and whopping 730Nm of torque. Peugeot claims it will shoot off from standstill and reach the 100km/h mark in a searing 4.0 seconds. Along the way to its 250km/h top end it will shame some performance icons such as BMW M5s, a couple of Porsches and most definitely the current king of hot hatches, the Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG. Now we wait to hear if it will reach SA shores.