Paris - Peugeot has pulled the covers off its new-generation 208 hatchback ahead of its Geneva Motor Show debut and it’s packed with technologies that you’d usually expect on larger cars.
Built on the company’s latest CMP platform, the newcomer is 30kg lighter than its predecessor and inherits some of Peugeot’s latest design cues from newer models like the 508 and 3008 while also harking back to that legendary 205 in places.
Moving inside, the 208 takes a great deal of design inspiration from that aforementioned 3008, with its ‘3D i-Cockpit’ set-up, as Peugeot calls it, featuring ‘piano’ toggle switches and a 3D digital instrument panel. Various high definition touchscreen infotainment options are available, depending on the model, as is a configurable head-up display and an eight-colour LED mood lighting system.
There is a raft of driver assistance gizmos available, including Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop & Go, a new-generation Emergency Brake Assist system with pedestrian and cyclist detection, Smartbeam headlights with automatic dipping and Driver Attention Monitoring, to name just a few.
On the powertrain front, Peugeot comes to the electrification party with a fully-electric version called the e-208. Featuring a 100kW motor and 50kWh battery, the e-208 is said to be capable of a range of 338km between charges and the car can even be put on charge remotely through a smartphone app, which also allows you to control the car’s climate systems from a distance.
There’s also a range of conventional petrol and diesel engines, including three variations of the 1.2-litre PureTech three-cylinder petrol unit in the form of a normally aspirated option with 55kW and turbocharged variants with 74kW and 96kW. The sole diesel option is a 1.5-litre four-cylinder with 74kW on offer.
Transmission offerings, depending on the engine selected, include five- and six-speed manuals and an eight-speed automatic.
The new Peugeot 208 is set to launch in South Africa in 2020.