13 Feb 06
PSA Peugeot Citroen has become the first manufacturer to announce the production of a diesel-electric hybrid. Peugeot 307 and Citroen C4 Hybride HDi models will be on sale in the UK by 2010 and 4Car has already driven the prototypes at a test track near Paris.
According to PSA's executive vice-president of innovation, Robert Peugeot, a diesel-electric hybrid offers a number of advantages over petrol-electric alternatives, such as those in the likes of the Toyota Prius.
"The performance of a gasoline hybrid is similar to that of a standard diesel engine," said Peugeot, "but it's much more expensive to produce. Only by combining hybrid and diesel technology can we achieve a major improvement in fuel efficiency, without compromising performance."
