Peugeot 208 T16 Rally Car Climbs Volcanic Mount Etna: Video

Even though it's titled "Etna Volcano Climb," the video above doesn't depict a theater of the absurd, but the meaning should be taken literally - a rally car actually climbed Sicily's Mount Etna, which is one of the most active volcanos in the world. The car in question is the Peugeot 208 T16 in rally guise, driven by national rally champion Paolo Andreucci. Obviously, part of the footage is a tribute to the famous "Climb Dance" cin ma v rit short film (click the name to see it), which featured legendary rally driver Ari Vatanen setting a record time at the 1988 Pikes Peak Hillclimb.

Not coincidentally, both films depict Peugeots, but Vatanen drove a 405 Turbo T16 GR hillclimb car, while Andreucci used a modern 208 T16 hatch built for rallying. Unlike the Climb Dance, the new Peugeot video is strictly a marketing ploy and doesn't feature any record-breaking attempt, but the footage is still mesmerizing.

Even though the CGI shots at the end are a bit tacky, the car going sideways up those volcanic roads makes for some pretty cool video action. Despite featuring a range of craters with intense and almost continuous activity, Mount Etna is one of Sicily's main tourist attractions. In Greek mythology, the forges of Hephaestus were said to be located underneath the volcano, so there is also a lot of history surrounding the area. That doesn't make Peugeot's stunt any less dangerous, since the volcano could have erupted at any moment.

Peugeot 208 T16 Rally Car Climbs Volcanic Mount Etna: Video originally appeared on topspeed.com on Monday, 16 March 2015 07:00 EST.

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BMW Claiming PSA Owes it €50 Million

Posted on 10.23.2012 11:00 by Justin Cupler Filed under: BMW Peugeot | hybrid cars | luxury cars | electric cars | BMW i | green cars | Cars | Car News

So BMW and Peugeot Citro n (PSA) were once a happy couple, just humming along in a deal that would help bring more hybrid and EV technology to both brands. All was well and good, and the relationship was blossoming into a mutually beneficial deal with no signs of issues. That was until General Motors decided to start flirting with the French automaker.

PSA decided that the grass was indeed greener on the other side and formed a deal with GM to increase its stake in producing vehicles with the American automaker. This apparently is a fatal blow to the deal between BMW and PSA, but BMW isn't letting PSA get away Scott-free. Part of the BMW-PSA deal was that the two automakers would jointly build a factory to manufacture the hybrid and EV technology and BMW is holding PSA to its promises by demanding 50 million, according to media outlets in France.

With the automotive world in Europe seeing the same types of struggles that the U.S. auto industry went through just a few years ago, 50 million is a lot of money for PSA to pony up. PSA hasn't yet issued a response to Bimmer's claim, but chances are this is ultimately the fatal blow to the once-promising BMW-PSA deal.

We're curious if the upcoming i8 hybrid was secretly a part of the hybrid technology that the two were planning to share. If so, this could be a key reason that BMW has been eerily quiet about the much-anticipated i8. We'll keep an eye on this situation and let you know what comes of it.