The HX1 conceptual people-carrier may give us some ideas about Peugeot’s future, but at the present moment, the French brand’s newest offering is the all-new 508 RXH, which is the third variant to be added to mid-size model’s range after the sedan and the estate.

Although Peugeot had given us a first peek at the 508 RXH in July, the Frankfurt Motor Show will mark the crossover’s world premiere.

Based on the estate version of the 508, the RXH follows in the lines of the Audi Allroad and Volvo XC70 featuring a unique front end, flared wheel arches, and of course, higher-riding suspension along with 18-inch wheels and wider tracks.

Unlike other models of the sort, the 508 RXH adopts a new four-wheel-drive system that makes use of an electric motor similar to the one used in the 3008 and the HX1.

The Hybrid4 system comprises a 2.0-liter HDi FAP turbo diesel located up front and an electric motor mounted at the rear. Each motor drives its respective axle, providing four-wheel-drive capability and, at the same time, four modes: Automatic, Sport, 4WD or Zero Emissions when the electric motor is powering the car.

Despite the system’s combined output of 200HP, the 508 RXH offers an exceptionally low average fuel consumption figure of just 4.0 lt/100 km (58.8 US mpg or 70.6 UK mpg) and CO2 emissions of 109 g/km.

The 508 RXH will be available from spring 2012, one year after the debut of its 508 stable mate.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad recently put his 1977 Peugeot 504 on the auction block. The original price for a ’77 504 was in the neighborhood of $9,000, and a used one like Ahmadinejad’s could fetch $2,000 in its local market. The bidding just got a massive shot in the arm, however, because someone thinks the car is worth a million bucks.

The million-dollar bid came from an Arab country but further details have not been released. Proceeds from the sale of the 504 will be used to build a low-income housing project.

Some automakers call their cars by name. Others give them alphanumeric designations. The trouble with the latter is that, if you follow a formula, sooner or later the sequence is going to either run out or repeat itself. That’s the issue that Peugeot is looking at with the next generation of its popular hatchback range.

The current model is called the 308, so it would follow logically that its successor be called the 309. After that the French automaker would have to either abandon the traditional _0_ naming scheme that identifies all its products (and the _00_ for minivans and crossovers) and dip into the _1_ range, but even before that comes up, Peugeot’s facing the issue that it already produced a model called the 309 between 1985 and 1993.

Rather than reuse the same nameplate, sources speculate that Peugeot could go for a name designation like it did with the RCZ coupe. The formula would likely follow across the range, leaving sister-company Citroën to stick with its alphanumeric C_ and DS_ naming scheme.

We weren’t looking for more reasons to pine after the Peugeot RCZ. Initially categorized as a French knock-off of the Audi TT, it seems the slinky coupe from French auto giant PSA has come into its own. But now we’ve got another reason to want one, and its name is the Asphalt edition.

The blacked-out special features a unique Noir Telluric exterior shade with black 19-inch alloys and a black leather interior to match. The 200-horsepower 1.6-liter turbo four co-developed with BMW does the pulling duties overseas, while we’re stuck over here wishing we could get our hands on one.

Peugeot is celebrating its 200th birthday (as a company), and to mark the occasion, the French automaker is planning an all-out product offensive. Chief among them is the mighty 508 – a sedan that benefits from reduced weight and increased interior room compared to the old 407. In a word: Progress.

Initially, the company says that the 508 will be available with everything from a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine with 120 horsepower and 118 pound-torque of torque to a 150-hp 2.2-liter turbo-diesel engine with a gobsmacking 331 pound-feet of torque. Available gearboxes vary from a six-speed automatic to both five- and six-speed manuals. Peugeot also plans to roll out a hybrid version of the big sedan, though the company says that European buyers can expect to wait a little while on that one. Interestingly, Pug officials say when the 508 does get its batteries, the hybrid will pack a 200-hp diesel engine in addition to whatever the electric motors add.