The A9 project, which is the new 208’s internal designation, is very important for Peugeot as it will compete in the highly competitive European B-segment rivaling the likes of the Ford Fiesta and Toyota Yaris.
Its significance for Peugeot is evident in the marketing tag applied by the company's management: “Re-Generation”. The French firm's Marketing and Communications Director, Xavier Peugeot, said: “The 208 is a new illustration of the marque’s project launched two years ago, representing a new stage in Peugeot’s desire to drive itself towards even greater modernity.”
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The 208 is the successor to the Peugeot 207 that has been in production since 2006, and it will compete against the likes of the Volkswagen Polo and Fiat Punto in the highly popular in Europe, B-segment.
According to the first details that were published along with the pictures, the 208 is more compact than the 207 measuring 3,975mm long, or 70mm less than its predecessor. More importantly, Peugeot's engineers managed to reduce the weight by a whopping 110kg or close to 250 pounds on average across the range.
As the car's name implies, this 207 CC is available exclusively with a white exterior finish and a black leather interior. Special features include the body-colored front apron and boot-lid spoiler, chrome tail pipes and a new set of 18-inch alloy wheels.
Borrowing a name from a two-seater buggy concept from 2003, the Hoggar pickup makes use of a hybrid platform developed from the rear end of the Partner van and the front end of the Brazilian-market 207 supermini, which itself is derived from the older Peugeot 206 and not the latest 207 hatch sold in Europe and other parts of the world.
The new 1.6-liter diesel turbo diesel unit that produces 112HP and 270Nm of torque (285Nm with overboost) replaces Peugeot's previous 1.6L HDi engine with 110HP. According to the French automaker, between this new 1.6-liter HDi and its predecessor, more than 50 per cent of the parts have been entirely redesigned.
