Peugeot to Launch Diesel-Based Hybrid Cars

PSA Peugeot Citroen will soon release a Peugeot 307 and a Citroen C4 car with a hybrid diesel system. The announcement coincides with a call by French President Jacques Chirac to develop such cars within 10 years.

Most hybrids, which were pioneered in the volume car industry by Japanese manufacturers, are currently based on gasoline, while in France most new cars use diesel.

PSA Chairman Jean-Marie Folz and Education Minister Gilles de Robien will open a research center for the development of fuel cells at Carrieres-sous-Poissy, northwest of Paris,

Folz has been dismissive about the current generation of gas-based hybrid cars, saying that current diesel engines are more fuel efficient and emission-friendly than gas hybrid cars.