Peugeot HX1 to go in to production as Peugeot 608?

Peugeot HX1 to go in to production as the 608?

The very good looking Peugeot HX1 Concept we saw at the Frankfurt Motor Show looks like it could make production as the Peugeot 608.

Big Peugeots have never really sold anywhere but France. So it seemed sensible when Peugeot revealed that the 407 and 607 would be replaced by the 508. But it looks as though Peugeot are about to make a volte-face and turn out a big Peugeot 608 after all.

The plan seems to be to take the very good looking Peugeot HX1 Concept we saw at Frankfurt last month, de-concept it, and turn it in to a range-topping, six-seat, luxury crossover in the mould of the Mercedes R Class.

It would be easy to jump to the conclusion that making an R Class style Peugeot would be the path to another big failure – the R Class has been a far from runaway success for Mercedes – but the Peugeot 608 should be a lot more stylish than the R Class, come in at a lower price and not have to compete with anything in-house.

And although some of the rather mad concept features on the HX1 – like the scissor doors and a marble plinth in the back to hold the coffee maker – are likely to bite the dust, the style of the HX1 could transfer to production very well.

That would mean an impressive 608 with lots of style and lots of clever detail, like the extra set of seats that spring up from the floor between the front and rear seats, active aerodynamics and some clever powertrains.

The most likely powertrain would be Peugeot’s hybrid diesel setup, which we know already delivers 200bhp (and could manage a chunk more in a 608), 4WD and silly mpg and emissions figures. Not only that, but it can use its 95bhp electric motor on the real wheels to do an impression of an EV for enough miles to make it useful, albeit without any huge oomph on offer.

Sounds like a plan to us.