AN ICONIC hatchback will return to these shores next year and it comes with a rectangular-shaped steering wheel.
The model will see the debut of a “game-changing” platform and will be sold exclusively as an EV.
PeugeotThe new-look Peugeot 208 will launch next year[/caption] PeugeotThe car will feature a radically different cabin[/caption] PeugeotThe upcoming motoer will have a radically different steering ‘wheel’[/caption]The new Peugeot 208 from Stellantis will be one of the most important models from the manufacturer to date when it launched in 2026.
The hot hatch will be the first model to use STLA Small, a platform made to underpin Stellantis’ next era of compact cars and is key for the company to be competitive in the affordable car market.
The STLA Small platform will be used by all of the group’s models from the A- to the C-segment and replace the CMP/e-CMP architecture employed by today’s 208/e-208, 2008 and Vauxhall Corsa.
The 208 has been earmarked to get the new platform first because it is one of the key cars from Stellantis, especially for its core market in Europe, Autocar reports.
In the first six months of this year, the 208 sold 109,146 vehicles, only behind the Renault Clio with 122,489 sales and the Dacia Sandero with 128,842 models sold, according to figures from Jato Dynamics.
The new platform can accommodate both hybrid and electric set-ups, reports say that the third-generation 208 will be only sold as an EV, a move that will be copied by the next Corsa, a 208 tech twin, Vauxhall-Opel boss Florian Huettl confirmed recently.
It’s expected the current CMP-based combustion 208 will stay in production alongside the new 208 with the new hatch using the e-208 badge to distinguish them.
Peugeot boss Alain Favey said the brand is “committed to BEVs” but also “committed to a multi-energy offer”.
He added: “Our strategy is to leave the choice to the customer which energy they want.”
Battery sizes for cars using the STLA Small will range from 37kWh to 82kWh.
With the new 208 expected to use a pack at the large end of that scale.
That would give the 208 a marked increase in range.
The biggest battery on the current 208 is 52kWh, giving it a range of 268 miles.
Details of the power outputs have not yet been released but it’s expected to be around 156bhp, matching similar models.
The new 208 will be previewed in November, according to Favey.
On display will also be its radical new cabin which is being heralded as a big leap forward in terms of design.
Most obviously, is the change in Peugeot’s i-Cockpit design.
Out goes a small round wheel and in comes a rectangular Hypersquare steering control, previewed on the Inception concept in 2023.
This will be connected to a steer-by-wire system, the first time this has featured on a Stellantis vehicle.
This set-up is expected to be then adopted across the range after being introduced in the 208.
According to Favey, this is all “about agility” and give Peugeot’s a distinctive driving feature.
The new 208 will also get the same panoramic curved infotainment screen, a 21in display on top of the dashboard, as seen in the 3008.
Customisable shortcut buttons will also be a feature, too.
The Polygon concept will reveal a “very creative” exterior, according to Favey.
The production 208 is expected to have a similar look to the larger 308, 3008 and 5008, which all feature Peugeot’s new styling, particularly at the front.
The new 208 is also expected to be slightly bigger than the current CMP-based offering, mirroring a wheelbase expansion, as seen on the Corsa GSE Vision Gran Turismo, which is 130mm longer and 105mm wider than on the standard Corsa.
The new 208 will be built at Stellantis’ plant in Zaragoza, Spain.
Production is due to start at the end of 2026.
The new Corsa has been lined up as the second car to use the STLA Small platform with production earmarked for early 2027.
Pricing for the new 208 is expected to stay at around today’s £30,000 entry mark.
PeugeotThe new 208 will also get the same panoramic curved infotainment screen, a 21in display on top of the dashboard, as seen in the 3008[/caption] PeugeotThe cost of the new 208 is expected to start around the £30k mark[/caption] PeugeotThe production 208 is expected to have a similar look to the larger 308, 3008 and 5008, which all feature Peugeot’s new styling, particularly at the front[/caption]Hence then, the article about iconic hot hatchback is returning to uk next year with a rectangular shaped steering wheel was published today ( ) and is available on The Sun ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
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