Peugeot 508 (2011): first official pictures of France's Mondeo

This is the new Peugeot 508, said to be the first Peugeot to introduce the new design look spun from the SR1 concept first seen back in January 2010. The 508 replaces two cars – the 407 and 607 – and will be available in both saloon and estate bodystyles when it goes on sale at the start of 2011.

It's very similar to the 5 concept car shown earlier in 2010, but somehow lacks the stylistic class of recent Peugeots such as the RCZ.

The new 508 will be powered by a range of engines with Peugeot’s new E-HDI stop-start system, which cuts CO2 emissions by up to 15%.

By mid 2011 a hybrid version of the 508 will be launched. The 508 HYBRID4 mixes 200bhp performance with four-wheel drive (hence the ‘4’) and 99g/km of C02 – falling to nothing when in full electric mode. Sounds good to us.

The interior of the car looks more upmarket than a Mondeo's; quite sober for a French family car, and is that an iDrive-style multi-controller nestling between the front seats?

As indicated by the jump in the badge number, the new 508 is bigger than the 407 it replaces. The 508 saloon is 4790mm long, while the SW estate is 4810mm – around 10cm longer than the outgoing model.

It’s based on the PSA Group’s platform 3, which also underpins the Citroen C5 and C6, and will be built in Rennes in France. A Chinese 508 will be built locally.

By Daniel Puddicombe