The 408, which is a four-door sedan version of Peugeot's 308 hatchback with a 100mm longer wheelbase, goes on sale in Russia with a starting price of 549,000 rubles (US$18,000 / €14,000).
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Peugeot turned to the creative people of the Sao Paulo-based advertising agency Loducca who came up with an interactive print ad for the 408. The company used a supplier from China to create 50,000 mini airbags, which were then inserted in one of Brazil’s most reputable business magazines, the Exame.
Designed and developed jointly by Peugeot's Styling teams in Europe and China, the 408 is the fruit of work by the joint venture set up between PSA Peugeot Citroen and the Chinese group DFM.
The 408 measures 4.68 meters in length, 1.81 meter in width and has a wheelbase of 2.71 meters, meaning it's roughly the same size as the 407 sedan (4.69m, 1.81m and 2.72m respectively).
At launch, the 408 sedan will be available in China with a choice of 1.6-liter and 2.0-liter gasoline engines producing 106HP and 147HP respectively.
The sedan is being produced at the Wuhan plant in Hubei province in China with Peugeot expecting full-year sales target of 100,000 units.
These are the latest speculative renderings of Peugeot's 407 mid-size sedan replacement that is due to arrive in European showrooms sometime during the fourth quarter of 2010. The crew over at French car magazine L'Auto Journal told us that the computer generated images of the Peugeot 408 are based on inside information. As is always the case with these kind of stories, only time will tell how close the renderings are to reality. 
What we do know for certain is that underneath the sheetmetal, the Peugeot 408 sedan will get the same platform and much of the mechanical hardware found in the well accepted Citroen C5.
Expect to see Peugeot's Ford Mondeo and Opel Insignia challenger to be offered with a wide choice of petrol and diesel engines, ranging from a 1.8-litre 127-horsepower petrol unit to the new 3.0-liter HDi V6 diesel that produces a healthy 240-horsepower.
Photos: Autojournal
We are still about a year away from the presentation of the 407's successor, but a member of the Peugeot-Forum seems to have scooped a totally undisguised prototype of the French automaker's new 408 sedan in a parking lot or a garage of some sort. The fuzzy pictures hint at a more aggressive and sportier design language for the 408 that will share its platform and engine line-up with the also new Citroen C5. Follow the jump for a few more shots.
Via: Forum-Peugeot