Peugeot could be preparing a new large electric SUV under the name of Peugeot 7008 that would hit the market in 2024. The success achieved by its current SUV range, consisting of 2008, 3008, and 5008 has encouraged the French manufacturer to recover An old project discarded due to technical problems and that could also serve as the basis for the DS9 Crossback, a luxury version that would be offered under the premium brand of the PSA Group.
Both models could spearhead the return of the PSA Group to the United States, where large SUVs have their most valuable market, and consolidate their position in the Chinese market, currently the most important in terms of electric vehicles.
The birth of Peugeot 7008
In 2011, Peugeot presented a concept called SXC at the Shanghai Auto Show. The model showed the appearance of a high-end SUV with 4.87 m in length and a silhouette reminiscent of a coupe. PSA’s financial problems put this project aside until it reappeared in 2015 with the birth of the DS brand.
At the time, the EMP2 platform’s maximum wheelbase of 2.84 meters was too short for an SUV of this size. PSA tried to partner with other manufacturers for a possible technical collaboration to no avail. The problem found the solution inside the PSA itself with the arrival of the elongated EMP2 platform of the Citroën Space Tourer and the Peugeot Traveler, whose wheelbase varies between 2.93 and 3.28 meters. Once this problem was solved, all that remained was to implement an all-wheel-drive system, essential in a model like this. Hybrid4 300 hp architecture or an all-electric option, mounted on thee-EMP2 platform, with a motor on each axis, solved this second problem.
100% electric version
According to the website latestcarnews.net, once the technical barriers have been solved, this year Peugeot has decided to definitively launch the project of a large SUV that would compete with rivals such as the BMW X6 or the Mercedes GLE. This development, which internally takes the name P94, is part of the renewal program of the Peugeot SUV range, which in 2023 will renew the 3008 and 5008. A year later, in 2024, the Peugeot 7008 would see the light of day.
To comply with the regulatory requirements in terms of CO 2 emissions that will govern in Europe at that time – 60 grams of CO 2 per kilometer in 2025 – and the requirements of the Chinese market, in which PSA is very present, this new SUV will be available in a fully electric version. It would have two electric motors, one on each axis, supplied by Nidec, a specialist in the manufacture of electrical systems and controllers, and a new-generation solid-state lithium battery. The version catalog does not exclude the possibility of also incorporating a plug-in hybrid variant, in addition to the 2.0 Blue HDi diesel version.
The PSA group’s premium brand DS could also be developing a new SUV for the larger segment. The DS9 Crossback would inherit the characteristics of the Peugeot 7008, incorporating the design, aesthetics, and level of finishes that differentiate it from the rest of the group’s brands.
The arrival of this model occurs within the electrification plan of the PSA group, which will reach the entire range of the four brands that make it up – Peugeot, Citroën, DS, and Opel – in 2025. As of 2019, all models will count with a hybrid or fully electric version. In two years, PSA will launch 15 new electrified vehicles: eight plug-in hybrids and seven electric.
