Pricing and specifications for the all-electric version of the Peugeot 208 hatchback were announced for the UK on Wednesday (UK time), as well as a very vague delivery start date of “early 2020”.
Available in four variants, pricing for the Peugeot e-208 hatchback (in its base “Active” trim) will start at £28,550 (about $A50,900 converted), £29,750 (about $A53,000 converted) for the Allure trim – all before on-road costs, and before the £3,500 ($A6,239) UK Plug-In Car Grant is applied.
The new premium GT Line trim will start at £31,600 (about $A56,300 converted) while £33,150 (about $A59,100 converted) for the range-topping GT trim, again before discounts and on-road costs.
All variants come kitted with a 100kW electric motor, and 50kWh battery offering 211 miles (339km) range (WLTP).
Peugeot however is keen to remind customers that the electric powertrain is but an additional choice for customers (diesel and petrol variants naturally will cost up to around £8,000 ($A14,260) less according to variant chosen – excepting the top-of-the-line GT which is only available in electric.
David Peel, Managing Director of PEUGEOT UK, put it this way in a statement to the press:
“The all-new PEUGEOT 208 represents the first step in PEUGEOT’s vision of providing our customers with the ‘power of choice’ i.e. ‘choose your PEUGEOT, choose your powertrain.”
With three driving modes – Sport, Normal and Eco – and the ability to recharge at rates of up to 100kW (a charge on a 50kW fast-charger would take one hour, and on a 350kW ultra rapid charger, 30 minutes), it will no doubt make a good impression for UK EV buyers.
A dichroic version of the French carmaker’s logo makes an appearance on the front grille (and thankfully not on the bonnet as in older models) to distinguish it form its fossil-fuelled stable mates in true subtle French style.
The new design of the 208 is a transformation of the 208’s rounder, softer look, into a more sporty look with angular exterior styling including the the French carmaker’s distinctive “claw” headlight, narrow “tooth” running lights on the front (another typically clever French play on its iconic lion logo).
All models come standard with differing levels of ASB (Active gets pedestrian detection as standard), electric and heated door mirrors, plus pre-heating and auto-air-conditioning, 16″ alloy wheels for both the Allure and Active and some upgraded interior styling for the Allure including a 3D configurable heads-up holographic digital dashboard that Peugeot likes to call the “i-Cockpit”.
The new GT Line trim gets a number of extras including ASB night function, cyclist and pedestrian detection, as well as some funky interior lighting in eight colours.
The top-of-the-line electric GT, this includes fully automated parking assistance, adaptive cruise control, lane assist and blind spot monitoring, as well as a larger 10″ colour touchscreen and 3D navigation in its 3D i-Cockpit.
While UK customer will receive introductory free charging when out and about with a yet-to-be announced UK charging network, Australia customers remain in the dark about whether or not the new 208 and the all-electric e-208 will make it to Antipodean shores.
Peugeot Australia has been contacted for comment and we will keep you posted.
Bridie Schmidt is associate editor for The Driven, sister site of Renew Economy. She has been writing about electric vehicles since 2018, and has a keen interest in the role that zero-emissions transport has to play in sustainability. She has participated in podcasts such as Download This Show with Marc Fennell and Shirtloads of Science with Karl Kruszelnicki and is co-organiser of the Northern Rivers Electric Vehicle Forum. Bridie also owns a Tesla Model Y and has it available for hire on evee.com.au.