SCOOP NEW 208 TO KICK OFF PEUGEOT TECH FEST

“WHAT we’re working on now is really the next big thing for us: the new 208,” Peugeot brand CEO Alain Favey told Auto Express in an exclusive interview.

- By Phil McNamara

He said the recent Polygon concept – a small hatchback which gives big hints to the 208’s design and technology – fired the starting gun on the new hatch’s introduction, with an unveiling likely at October’s Paris Motor Show.

The 208 will be the first model on a new ‘STLA’ electric-car chassis. “The car is on STLA Small and it will be launched as a BEV,” Favey said. “We were first with STLA Medium as well [beneath the 3008 SUV]. It’s Peugeot’s role to bring innovation among Europe’s mainstream brands.”

The new chassis incorporates ‘Hypersquare’ steer-by-wire, where the mechanical link between the steering and wheels is replaced by digital impulses. This will also help unlock two fundamental 208 goals: dynamic handling and maximum space in a compact package.

The CEO explained: “More people live or work in urban areas, where space is becoming more and more constrained and the roads are more and more congested. So you need compact exterior dimensions together with a very spacious interior. That’s what we’re trying to explore with Polygon and the rest.”

The Polygon’s proportions – with the windscreen pushed forward shrinking the nose, and a longer wheelbase – show how electric cars can cram more space into a small footprint. Eliminating the steering column, combined with a new dashboard architecture, will boost roominess, too. And will this focus have a knock-on effect in minimising weight gain, which saps EV range? “Absolutely: that’s what we’re trying to do with the next 208,” Favey said.