This Peugeot 308 SW Mule Is Hiding The New 508 Underneath

Well well well, what do we have here? It looks like a Peugeot 308 SW, right? Look closer: what you’re actually looking at, we have reason to believe, is a test mule for the next-generation 508.

Though it’s wearing the wagon’s bodywork, it’s been modified with extended fenders and spacers behind the C-pillar – ostensibly to make room for a larger footprint underneath. And though Peugeot offers a 408 in the Chinese market, the next step up in its European portfolio is the 508.

The current 508 replaced both the 407 and 607 when it launched as the Lion marque’s flagship sedan in 2010. That makes it more than six years old by now and ripe for replacement, which our sources anticipate will arrive sometime next year.

The question is what form it will take. Some are anticipating a more four-door coupe-like design, while others suggest a conventional sedan will still win the day. Of course PSA could green light both versions, in addition to a wagon version.

The decision will likely have been colored largely by what the market demands in China, where local production in conjunction with Dongfeng accounts for roughly half of 508s sold globally.

Whatever silhouette it adopts, the next-generation Peugeot 508 will likely pick up a few styling cues from the slick Exalt concept the French automaker tellingly showcased at the Beijing Motor Show back in 2014 – albeit assuredly toned down somewhat for production.