Feast your eyes on the 2011 championship-winning Peugeot 908 LMP1 Le Mans car. The blindingly quick Le Mans prototype weighs approximately 925kg and develops 550bhp from its 3.7-litre V8 diesel unit. At the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the 908 grabbed three of the top four spots, coming second only to the Audi R18.
Alongside the Le Mans racer will be Peugeot’s first car for India – the 508. This will be the French carmaker’s flagship model in India and Peugeot realises the importance of having a diesel variant, so the first engine will be a 1.6-litre diesel developing 112bhp. It will be interesting to see how Peugeot prices the 508, which needs to cost less than a Honda Accord to succeed in India. Styling-wise, Peugeot’s designs should abide well with Indian tastes compared to the quirky styling of its French counterpart, Renault. Peugeot will also display the RCZ sportscar at the Expo.
Is Peugeot ready for its second innings in India? Its Rs 4,000 crore investment in Gujarat surely suggests so.
Dipan Sur
Viraaj Bhatnagar
Uday Singh
Hormazd Sorabjee
Kiran Murali
