The sculpted headlights of the new Peugeot 208 and the boomerang tail lights are part of the brand’s new ‘design signature’.
It is small details like those that 208 designer Pierre Authier is most pleased about.
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He admitted that attention to detail hasn’t been Peugeot’s strong point on recent models. “208 introduces very strong design,” he said. “It is the start of the next chapter for us.”
Although 208 is smaller than 207 externally – it’s 7cm shorter – there is considerably more interior space, including 5cm more legroom in the back.
“Design has to express what a car offers customers,” he said. The 208 conveys a lightness and femininity that has been missing from recent Peugeots, he said. The big, masculine – some might say aggressive – front grille has gone to be replaced by a smaller, softer look. “It’s difficult to make small cars elegant but we have tried to do that,” he said.
Authier was also responsible for the 208 GTi concept unveiled at Geneva on Tuesday. Here attention to detail extends to the single red stripe on the wheels matching the red brakes, a detail Authier is particularly pleased with.
The other concept unveiled by Peugeot was the XY, a luxury version of the 208 that highlights Peugeot’s ambitions for better perceived quality.
Authier admitted the company is following Mini with the idea of greater personalisation. He points to the technology of the touch screen “which doesn’t just replace buttons but becomes a feature in itself” as one good example.
