Peugeot makes the RCZ even better as it rolls out the limited Asphalt Edition of the exciting coupe. The new styling gets a Telluric Grey paint in matte finishin that enhances the subtle curves of the ride. The carmaker will only release forty of the RCZ Asphalt edition in the United Kingdom.

The Peugueot RCZ Asphalt also gets black brake calipers and badges of the Asphalt. It also rolls on 19-inch alloy rims as standard.

The custom work is also very evident in the interiors. The leather seats come with Asphalt badging and contrast stitching. The designers also gave the ride unique floor mats and door sills. The switch gear also gives that solid feeling plus the high quality leather dashboard.

The low riding Peugeot does not give a lot of space but adults can survive a short trip in the cramped rear seats. The luggage room is adequate enough at 384 liters and can even increase it up to 780 liters when you fold the rear seats.

The RCZ Asphalt takes inspiration from the GT 200 version of the RCZ which is the sharpest and fastest of the line up. The 1.6L turbo powerplant gives out 197 bhp and comes packed thru the rev range. The engine also gives off a good sound through the twin chrome tail pipes. It can go from 0 to 62 miles per hour in a matter of 7.6 seconds. This RCZ returns 40.9 miles per gallon on combined standards and around 159 grams per kilometer of carbon dioxide.

The RCZ Asphalt is also setup for a sharper drive with bigger wheel hubs and anti-roll bars. So you can expect this car to handle corners well with good stability, grip, and control.

Other features include smaller steering wheel for sharper responses, parking sensors, satellite navigation, and upgraded sound system.

The RCZ Asphalt Edition has a sticker price of £29,995.

The French automobile company, PSA Peugeot Citroen, has officially kicked off its production of the Citroen C4 hatchback at its Kaluga Plant in Russia last spring.  At present time, the Kaluga plant is concerned with the initial assembly of the Citroen-C4 hatchback, which is one of the highest rated and most popular Citroen vehicles in Russia.  The French car company made an announcement that in the next two years, they will employ welding and painting procedures as they kick off production to a full stretch.  Towards the end of 2010, the Kaluga plant strives to produce 700 Citroen-C4 hatchbacks per month.

The Citroen-C4 hatchback boasts of a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine with 120-horsepower that comes in both manual and automatic transmissions.  The C4 hatchback model comes in three types:  the Optima, which is manufactured specifically for the Russian market, comes with 16-inch wheels, side curtains, leather-bound steering wheel, and a climate control mechanism.  The C4 is expected to be released with a price tag of $19,000 for the Comfort type, $20,000 for the Russian-specified C4 Optima, and $22,500 for the top-of-the-line exclusive version.

The Kaluga plant opened in April 2010 with an expected manufacturing capacity of 125,000 annually.  All the cars manufactured at the Kaluga plant will be exclusive to the Russian market only.  The Kaluga plant sits just about 15 kilometers off the city of Kaluga and approximately 3 kilometers off the Moscow-Kiev highway.  The Kaluga plant has at least 3,000 employees.

PSA Peugeot Citroen and Mitsubishi Motors are teaming up to make a compact SUV. According to reports, this collaboration will pave the way for the adaptation and development of both Citroen and Peugeot marques. These vehicles are both compact SUVs based on the Mitsubishi RVE platform.

The SUVs are set to be released in Europe by early 2012. These compact SUVs will carry specific design details marking the Citroen and Peugeot lines. Components from the Mitsubishi ASX will also be incorporated. The SUVs will also be stylized to consume low fuel levels. Electric steering and a regenerative breaking system will also be used to promote a more efficient power generation control.

These vehicles will be available in both two-wheel and four-wheel drive. The projected production volume of both the Citroen and Peugeot are set at 50,000 units per year. PSA Peugeot will use a 1.6 HDI diesel engine for models produced under its brand. This type of engine emits low CO2 levels, particularly in the two-wheel drive versions.

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Peugeot recently released the iOn sedan, an all electric vehicle that got its DNA from their i-MiEV platform. The autoworld is also expecting another vehicle based on Citroen soon.

Like the name suggests, the iOn runs on lithium-ion battery. It has an output of 64 horsepower with a torque of 133 pound-foot. Peugeot claims that the top speed of the vehicle is pegged at 81 mph and a single charging can go the distance of 81 miles.

Another great feature of the vehicle that may be useful for fleets is its ability to communicate through a local dispatch so each vehicle can be located.

Charging the vehicle will not really be a problem since the iOn can be plugged into a regular outlet that carries 220 volts. Full charging can be done in as short as 6 hours. There is also an option to fast charge the EV in just 30 minutes and it will carry 80% of its capacity.

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The efforts of Peugeot on building and running diesel race cars on the track may be showing its fruits on their street cars. The French car maker recently announced that the diesel engine of the 407 Coupe is getting an upgrade.

To keep up with the demand of the market today, the 407 Coupe combines power and environmental responsibility with its power train variants:

The Peugeot 407 Coupe gets a V6 3.0L HDi PEF powerplant that is coupled with a 6-speed automatic gearbox. This engine outputs about 241hp and a torque of 450Nm at 1600 rpm which makes it the most powerful engine Peugeot ever produced in its more than one century of car making history – but, as this is still an environmentally-friendly car, it’s also one of the greenest!

The 3.0L engine can zoom the 407 Coupe from 0 to 100 in a matter of 7.7 seconds. In addition to that, it boasts of a 15% improvement in fuel mileage compared to its older V6 sibling that had a displacement of 2.7L.

The other 407 Coupe engine is the 2.0L HDi with PEF that is capable of giving 163hp and a torque of 340Nm. Coupled with PEF or particle emission filter and manual 6-speed gearbox, the car brings a total value package in terms of price, performance, and kindness to the environment. This 2.0L variant can drive for 100km in just 5.4L of fuel plus a 20% power improvement from the previous generation.

In France, the 3.0L V6 variant of the 407 Coupe has a sticker price of 47,600 Euros while the 163hp 2.0L variant goes for 33,350 Euros.

Concentrating on manufacturing smaller cars running with highly efficient diesel power plants seems to be collecting profits for Peugeot which figures an 18.6% sales share of cars with sub 120 g/km in the UK and around 15.5% all over Europe. Peugeot also ruled 14.3% of shares in the sub 130 field.

To make the picture clearer, there was 1 Peugeot in every 6 vehicles sold in the UK and Europe for 2008. That is the reason why the car company tops the sales for low CO2 emitting vehicles that part of the globe.

The range of cars of Peugeot has 36 kinds of vehicles that are below the 121 g/km. The commitment of the car manufacturer to build environment friendly cars had made their Blue Lion standards a household name in the UK. The Blue Lion standards refer to their vehicles that are all below the CO2 emission rating of 131 g/km.

In the UK, the Peugeot 107 led the pack of the best selling vehicles with a very low CO2 emission of 106 g/km for 2008. The 107 sold 16701 units in 2008 which is a jump from the 15333 in 2007.

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