Autoblog UK

The new compact 5008 MPV is Peugeot's fourth new offering this year. They're really putting their foot down at Peugeot. Despite the credit crunch, new registrations are up for the French manufacturer with the lion on the bonnet. Their success is down to an extensive small-car line-up and a large range of low-emission vehicles, plus their efforts at breaking into new segments of the market, as with the new Peugeot 5008. Pleasing, flexible and offering good value for money, the car takes consumers by surprise. Fans of the marque have had to wait a long time for such an MPV. All good things are worth waiting for... so the saying goes. How true when referring to the 5008.

Mitsubishi launched their i-MiEV e-car in Japan during the summer 2009. An agreement was signed this autumn with the French PSA Group to build two sister models based on the i-MiEV for the European market. Peugeot's iOn will get its chance towards the end of 2010. Citroën has dubbed its version the C-Zero.

Some details about the C-Zero have now been released. Designed primarily for urban use and purely electric driven, it doesn't use petrol nor emit CO2. The vehicle simply glides quietly along the road. Citroën's e-car has a state-of-the-art, lithium-ion battery pack stowed amidships providing juice for a 64bhp synchronous motor. The C-Zero has a range of around 80 miles (130km) on a fully charged battery.

We've seen a few weird specimens emerge from the French automobile industry over the years – they just like to stand out from the rest of the European herd, we guess. But being different is after all part of the business of building concept cars. In the BB1, Peugeot have come up with a visually challenging idea for the Frankfurter Motor Show. It is a prototype measuring just 2.5 metres in length powered by electricity and seating four. So what's the BB1 supposed to be? An urban motor of the future that has had some bruising encounters with the robust style of the Parisian driving? Even after the initial shock, the vehicle still looks like it's been squashed. So has this concept got a future? We could imagine it in the context of a Michel Vaillant comic or maybe in Disney's 'Cars 3'.

It doesn't always have to be the horrendously expensive, high-powered supercars that create a stir. Besides, who can afford such a car? But now, Peugeot have launched the RCZ, a stylish model that takes your breath away and combines sports car and sanity in one vehicle. That applies not just to the fuel economy figures but to the purchase price as well: 26,450 euros, around £24,000, will buy a thrifty 156bhp petrol engine in an exciting package. This is fun that you can afford. They're a daring lot, the French. What about the opposition? Only Audi's TT can compete with it. Better keep quiet about the price, though.

At the Frankfurt Motor Show, Peugeot will be presenting their vision of a sporty coupé. The 308 RC Z is claimed to deliver 218 horsepower while weighing in at a mere 1,200 kilos. It is the creation of 33-year-old German designer Boris Reinmöller who took a bit of Audi TT plus a bit of Nissan 350 Z and mixed them together in a unique blend. The 19-inch wheels, broad front wheel arches and plump posterior make a perfect cocktail. This diminutive French coupé also manages a respectable top speed of 145mph (235km/h).

Top 10 preview IAA Frankfurt: Aston Martin Rapide, Audi A5 Sportback, BMW X1, Ferrari 458 Italia, IndiKar, Lexus LF-A, Mercedes SLS AMG, Opel Ampera

Although they were naturally nerve-wracking for everyone at Team Peugeot, the final three hours of the 2009 Le Mans Hours passed off with a hitch for the French squad, and the two frontrunning Peugeot 908s went on to collect an emphatic one-two finish. The winning machine (N°9, Gené/Wurz/Brabham) finished seven laps clear of the best-placed non-Peugeot runner at the flag (Audi N°1), with the N°8 sister car (Sarrazin/Montagny/Bourdais) following it across the line to claim second spot. The N°7 car (Minassian/Lamy/Klien) completed the distance in sixth spot despite a spate of problems in the early hours of the morning.

As every year, the end of the race was marked by a number of accidents, and the N°5 Porsche's off prompted the safety car to be sent out one last time at 1.46pm. The N°7 and N°9 Peugeots profited from the neutralisation to pit for fuel. The safety car peeled off at 2.20pm and the three Peugeots made one last stop before the chequered flag. Sébastien Bourdais slowed on purpose to enable the three Peugeot 908 HDi FAPs to cross the line in formation. One-Two-Victory for Peugeot!



Eleven starts, eleven times in succession on the winner's podium: Audi continued its impressive series of podium results in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. After taking three consecutive victories Audi had to settle for third position on this occasion in probably the world's toughest endurance race.

"Obviously we are a little disappointed about the result", said Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. "Peugeot produced a fantastic performance and certainly deserved the victory. We will analyze the problems we had to ensure we come back stronger next year." The race to Le Mans 2010 has just begun.

Luca di Montezemolo, President of both Ferrari and Fiat, will be acting as official starter for the 77th 24-hour Le Mans race to be staged on 13th June. Ferrari recorded their first win in this motorsport classic sixty years ago. That was in 1949 when Luigi Chinetti and Lord Selsdon each took turns behind the wheel of a Ferrari 166 MM. Now, with nine victories under their belt, the Italian constructor occupies second spot in the all-time rankings, just behind Porsche who have 15 race wins to their name.

The best Montezemolo can hope for is a class victory for his own marque. The last Ferrari outright win on the River Sarthe was back in 1965 when Jochen Rindt and Masten Gregory contested the race in a Ferrari 250 LM. A total of 55 teams are under starter's orders for 2009. Patrick Dempsey, who stars in the American TV series 'Grey's Anatomy', will also be one of the competitors. The bookies' favourites are last year's winners Audi and Peugeot.

Le Mans is nearly upon us and 2009 is shaping up to be a potential classic with British fans in for a real treat.

Thousands of Brits cross the Channel into France every year for the classic 24 Hours race in the hope of celebrating home success on French soil. In 2008, they were doubly rewarded when Scot Allan McNish finally got a monkey off his back when he won for a second time, ending a 10-year wait since his maiden success. How a nation rejoiced!

At the same time, Aston Martin took the GT1 class honours for the second year in succession, taming their arch rivals from across the Pond, Corvette. The Americans are back for the final time in the class this year but they'll more than likely be looking at the back end of the two Astons as the Prodrive-run team have bigger fish to fry in the leading prototype class (LMP1) as they bid to win outright 50 years on from its one and only Le Mans victory. The team has already tasted success this year in the opening Le Mans Series race in Spain.

It was only recently that the compact 3008 was presented as a 'crossover talent'. Peugeot apparently rather sees the 3008 in the SUV division than in the compact van segment, otherwise launching the 5008 would seem to make little sense. So what's this vehicle all about then? The 5008 is a classic compact van with up to 7 seats. It would seem to be directly aimed against the recently-launched Renault Grand Scenic, as well as the Toyota Verso. In terms of appearance, its relationship to the 3008 is readily apparent. Both a frontal design that is uncharacteristically restrained for Peugeot, as well as very conservative lines all round stand out, but hardly in an exciting way. The fact that the new 5008 has the same technical base as the Citroën C4 Picasso appears to be logical for inter-company reasons within the group. Some style elements such as the black D-pillars (floating roof), as well as the bend in the window line further back, are indeed very evocative of Citroën.

Inside, there is the usual folding fiddle-faddle in the second and third seat rows. Row three can be stowed in the floor and in row two, all three seats can be slid and folded. Well suited then to the zeitgeist of compact vans, but with no surprises. As in the 3008, the instrument board oozes class and is angled towards the driver. The new Peugeot instrument concept looks well-manufactured with painted elements and chrome trim. The Peugeot 308 was indeed already impressive with its quality interior. What remains to be seen is to what extent the purchasing groups for the 3008 and 5008 overlap. One thing is for sure: the Peugeot is certainly a successful alternative to the Toyota and Renault compact van classes.