Peugeot and Citroën kill off diesel hybrids

Peugeot and Citroen both made waves when they introduced diesel-electric four-wheel-drive hybrids, featuring on the 3008, 508 estate and DS5 models.

The cars were supposed to appeal on the basis of having the performance of a large, multi-cylinder engine with the emissions of a small car, and on that basis, they scored well – 200hp combined with 99g/km, depending on the model.

Now though, the Hybrid4 system is to be killed off, and replaced in the future by petrol-electric hybrids and plug-in hybrids.

The problem is that diesel-hybrids only appeal in Europe, and the expense of developing the technology can't be amortised by selling the same models in diesel-phobic Asian markets.

PSA's chief executive Maxime Picat confirmed to Autocar magazine that "you have a really efficient diesel in terms of CO2 plus the hybrid but where you are in countries where there is no diesel you have to redevelop. It is not efficient in terms of economy of scale and we know these new energies are costly to develop. We have to make sure we have the same technical solution for Europe, for China, for Norway, for all the countries."

End of the road

The DS5 Hy4 and 3008 Hy4 will not continue in production, but the unique-bodied 508 RXH crossover will – albeit without its hybrid component. Marketing manager at Gowan Distributors, Ireland's Peugeot importer, Emma Toner told The Irish Times: "We will have a new 508 RXH model to show at the Ploughing Championships. It's not a hybrid, but instead uses a 180bhp diesel with an automatic transmission. We decided that the look of the car was just so strong that it would be a shame to drop the model entirely, so after discussions with Peugeot this is the route we've taken. We'll have one car in the country to evaluate and to show at the Ploughing Championships and we'll be able to issue full specifications and a price shortly."

It’s not the first time in recent years that PSA has had to back-track from a new type of hybrid technology. The company had worked long and hard on its Hybrid-Air system, which used compressed air stored in a tank to help with acceleration in short bursts. The system was supposed to be simpler, lighter and less harmful to the environment than batteries, but improvements in battery tech meant that it became out-dated before development had finished and it was dropped last year.