Peugeot unveils ambitious Chinese agenda ahead of Shanghai show

(Patrick Curtet - Automobiles Peugeot)

Peugeot is to begin a Chinese product blitz starting with the launch of its popular 508 sedan, the firm has confirmed ahead of the Shanghai auto show.

The automaker said April 11 that it will launch the Chinese model of the 508, a competitor to the popular Ford Mondeo, at the Auto Shanghai show which begins April 21 in China's largest city.

Peugeot said that it expects one in every three 508 vehicles globally will be manufactured and sold in China, now the world's largest car market and rapidly becoming a battleground for western automakers.

In a sign of how seriously the French brand is taking the show, it is set to announce plans to launch at least one new model annually onto the Chinese market in the coming years.

Also alongside the Chinese 508 will be a new concept car, 100 percent designed in China and adapted to the needs of the "Chinese market of tomorrow," with a crossover form and petrol-hybrid engine.

Peugeot is just one of countless brands gearing up for the event, which is set to draw big names from all over the world who are keen to show off their latest innovations for the rapidly growing Chinese market.

Subaru released the first images of the new XV crossover, based on the Impreza hatchback, April 11, ahead of a full reveal at the show.

Audi is also set to debut the 2012 Q3, another crossover designed to take on the BMW X1 and Range Rover Evoque.

Auto Shanghai runs April 21-28 in Shanghai, China.

http://www.autoshanghai.org/en/