Goodbye PSE, after a single model, Peugeot’s more sporty and hybrid vision has been canceled

The reinvention of the sportiest Peugeot, renamed Peugeot Sport Engineeredit hasn’t worked. The French firm will not market any more versions under its PSE sports divisiona range that has sought to combine high performance and electrification, giving life to the most powerful Peugeot ever madebut that will now pass away, leaving it up in the air whether we are facing a new change of direction or a definitive abandonment.

Manufacturing sports cars is not a priority

It was in 2020 when Peugeot announced the transformation of Peugeot Sport into Peugeot Sport Engineered to give a new look to its most sporty range. With this change, the firm sought to give a new identity to such a legendary division, opening the door to a new strategy, with a different approach when it comes to understanding sportiness, but above all, betting everything on a range where electrification was increasingly more protagonist.

Thus Peugeot Sport Engineered debuted on the market with the Peugeot 508 PSE as its first model, thus serving as its flagship. and showcase of what was to come. Available in saloon and estate bodywork, the 508 PSE presented – and presents because it is still marketed – a differentiated design, a sportier set-up and better performance thanks to a 360 HP plug-in hybrid system with which to boast a direct link with the brand’s competition program, the one embodied by the Peugeot 9X8.

Peugeot’s priority is on its electrification and not on having a range of sports cars

After the launch of the 508 PSE, Peugeot did not take long to hint at plans to launch more PSE versions of other models in its range, with the arrival of a Peugeot 3008 PSE scheduled for this year 2024. However, this is not going to happen as is. as confirmed by the French manufacturer itself.

In recent statements by Linda Jackson as CEO of Peugeot, the firm has decided not to move forward with PSE and therefore cancel the launch of any new model. All of this is explained in a simple way, and that is that At Peugeot they have decided to give total priority to the electrification of their rangewhich means focusing efforts and resources on the transformation of your entire portfolio to achieve the goal to be an all-electric manufacturer by 2030.

Peugeot Sport will return sooner or later, but perhaps never again with a gasoline engine

With this decision it is clear that, After the discontinuation of the 508 PSE, we will have to wait a long time to see a sports version again within the Peugeot range, which is a real shame. This does not mean that later Peugeot Sport will once again have representation in street cars, but it seems that it will take years for that to happen, also doing so on cars where there will no longer be any trace of thermal engines.

In relation to this decision regarding Peugeot Sport Engineered, the possibility of manufacturing a 9X8 for the street is even further away. Although Peugeot has never confirmed anything in relation to this project beyond the fact that they could manufacture it, the very high cost of bringing a Hypercar to the streets, the low demand and the lack of interest on the part of the brand, make it practically impossible for Peugeot build a rival for the Aston Martin Valkyrie and Mercedes-AMG ONE.