The new Peugeot 208 looks perfect
No really, just look at this cute little tyke.
I mean objectively cute and perfectly formed like a feral pug with just the right amounts of ironic aggression. You'll note two things immediately, firstly that it harks back more than once at the hatchlings of its past such as the 205 with design elements and that secondly, it falls sweetly in line with the rest of the 2019 Peugeot range. And no retro pastiche in sight.
Instead you get contemporary interpretations of the three claws in the headlamps, that black bar between the rear clusters and bodywork rendered in vibrant hues such as Vertigo Blue, Elixir Red and Faro Yellow - colour us intrigued. More will be revealed later this year at the Geneva Motor Show, but we can confirm efficient drive trains in each flavour - petrol, diesel and electric. The latter, the e-208 comes with a combined 100kw and 260Nm, a selection of driving modes and 80s era performance with an 8.1 second sprint from standing to 100kph.
Now we pray for a Gallic GTi.
The Citroen Ami One Concept is just too damn cute
Look, the chance of seeing one of these in real life is close to zero, so let’s enjoy it for what it is. A design flourish from one of the cleverest car firms to ever grace us.
It weighs a mere 425kg, is just 2.5m long and as wide as it is tall at 1.5m each way. The Ami One is so much more than a car, rather a smartphone companion on wheels and with that, full app-integration and pairing. It is meant to be a mobility solution rather than an ownership prospect – you’ll be able to rent one for five minutes or five hours, days months or years through different payment packages.
That’s some big plans for a little car. Let’s just see where this One goes.
Peugeot 508 Sport Engineered Concept is one sexy sedan
We’ll get to those drop-dead aesthetics in a moment, but let’s just give the numbers the attention it deserves, first.
A combined output of 231kW and 500Nm from three ‘engines’; the Puretech 200 and electric engine upfront and an (150kW) engine at the rear. This high-tech powertrain is good for a 0-100kph sprint in just 4.3 seconds, will top out at 250kph and emit noxious gases to the meagre tune of 49g/km CO2. It rolls on 20 inch alloy hoops shod in rarefied 245/35 R20 Pilot Sport 4S rubber. And it looks like the sort of family saloon that Bruce Wayne would one day acquire should he ever settle down.
Your stock is rising, Peugeot.
