2012 Peugeot 208 Next Generation Review

The 2012 Peugeot 208 is another milestone in the Peugeot Marque project. The Peugeot 208 has the spirit of the Peugeot 205 and of the Peugeot 206, the praticality of the Peugeot 207, combined with 208 modernity. To meet the expectations of the more than 15 million customers worldwide who havendriven the Peugeot 205, 206 or 207, the Group has come up with a truly next generation vehicle in the Peugeot 208. The car will feature PSA Peugeot Citroën’s new generation of three-cylinder petrol engines made in Trémery, France, which consume only 4.3 litres per 100 km, for CO2 emissions of 99 grams per km. The 208 will also be equipped with e-HDi (micro hybrid technology) on 4 of its 5 diesel engines most notedly with a low consumption version which emits only 87 g of CO2 / km equivalent to 3.4 liters / 100 km in a mixed cycle. All the diesel versions will emit less than 99 g of CO2 / km.


Some 110 kg lighter and more compact than its predecessors, the Peugeot 208 contains 25% recycled or bio-sourced materials versus 7% for the Peugeot 207. This launch has provided substantial opportunities for the Group's suppliers in France, where 65% of the Peugeot 208's parts and components are made. The 2012 Peugeot 208 will also be produced at Group plants in Trnava, Slovakia for the Central European markets and Porto Real, Brazil for the Latin American market starting in 2013. In 2011, PSA Peugeot Citroën made twice as many vehicles in France as it sold there, for a positive contribution to France’s trade balance of several billion euros.


In 2011, PSA Peugeot Citroën made twice as many vehicles in France as it sold there, for a positive contribution to France’s trade balance of several billion euros. The new Peugeot 208 will make its world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show and will be marketed in France starting in the spring of 2012.

The 2012 Peugeot 208 muscular sculpted body sides offer an identity, a posture which is very different in the 3-door and 5-door body types. The doors of this latter appear to be crossed by a "nerve" running from the rear lamps towards the front. On the top-of-the-range versions, the glazing is entirely surrounded with chrome, a feature never seen before in the segment. The profile of the 3-door is much more sculpted, hollowed out, in the image of the SR1 concept car (presented in January 2010 and chronologically designed alongside the 208). Another detail on this, the shape and movement of the quarter panel look at a glance like that of the 205, another iconic Peugeot.

The volume of the vehicle appears sculpted by the wind. From the "PEUGEOT" lettering machined in the block at the top of the grille issues a veritable spine which crosses the bonnet, bites into the top of the windscreen, leaves its mark in the centre of the roof and imprints its movement right to the rear and the line of the boot aperture. The rear lamps, true technological adornments, also incorporate a light signature with, notably, three illuminated claws. With their boomerang shape, and this is a technical feat, they appear at one with the body.


PSA Peugeot Citroën started production of the new Peugeot 208 today in its plant in Poissy, France. This major launch, which represents a total investment of €600 million in France, confirms the Group’s deep commitment to its home country. Philippe Varin, Chairman of the Managing Board of PSA Peugeot Citroën, gave the signal to start production of the Peugeot 208 today in a ceremony attended by the French Minister of Industry, Eric Besson, and numerous elected officials and guests.

This launch is the culmination of a large-scale investment programme in the Group’s French plants.

· In terms of R&D, the Peugeot 208 represented an investment of €350 million and occupied around 500 employees full time during its four years of development.
 
· At Poissy, investments totalling €150 million were made and 700 team members were hired in 2011 to prepare production start-up.
 
· Another €100 million was invested at the Group’s Mulhouse facility, which will start producing the Peugeot 208 this summer.

The 2012 Peugeot 208 also benefits from the Marque's leadership in terms of tertiary safety by offering, as on most vehicles in the range, a system which offers the Peugeot Connect SOS and Peugeot Connect Assistance services free of charge and with no time limit. As a reminder, Peugeot Connect SOS, currently available in 10 European countries and in more than 600,000 Peugeot vehicles, permits location of the vehicle and dispatching of the appropriate emergency services in the event of an incident. Since its launch in 2003, it has permitted rapid intervention by the emergency services in nearly 4,800 emergency situations.

2012 Peugeot 208 Pictures

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