Photo: CarPix
In case you haven't gone outside in the past five years or so, small and compact crossovers are all the rage now, especially in Europe (but they are starting to catch on in other parts of the world as well).
We have no idea what it is about them that people find so appealing, but then again it wouldn't be the first time when people's choice took us by surprise. Besides, the market is governed by supply and demand, and if the market wants small cars that look like they could handle themselves off-road but can't, then who are the manufacturers to question their preferences?
Peugeot is currently trying to reinvent itself after a period of bland, uninspiring models. It started with the new 208 back in 2012, and it's been on an upward trend ever since, even though it wasn't something spectacular. The new 3008 SUV, however, seems to have been well-received thanks to its bold design and unique interior.
That is good news for Peugeot because the French company can very easily scale these two down and come up with other models that will hopefully turn out to be just as successful. Here, you're looking at one of them: the 1008 mini crossover.
The name 1008 is not official yet, but we'd be surprised if the lion brand decided to go for something else. The new models would slot nicely under the 2008, competing with other similar vehicles like the Ford EcoSport.
Since Peugeot is part of the PSA and it has recently acquired Opel as well, expect similar vehicles sporting Citroen and Opel design and badges to appear as well. It's three for the price of one these days for the PSA Group.
Before we go into the very sparse details of the powertrains that will be available, let us just point out what a good-looker this 208 mule is. The extra-wide wheel arches and the higher ride suit the French mini hatchback rather well, but that won't stop Peugeot's designers from coming up with a completely new look.
We suspect the 1008 crossover to come in front-wheel-drive only, much like the Renault Captur, for instance. It should also get a choice of three-cylinder turbocharged engines running on both gasoline and diesel, coupled to manual transmissions as standard, with the automatic costing a few extra bucks.
Since this is just an early mule, we expect the 1008 to debut late 2018 the earliest. Whether it will be joined at launch by its Citroen and Opel siblings or they will follow shortly after remains to be seen. In the meantime, keep watching this space for more spy shots as the team begins to test the production version of the body.
Peugeot is currently trying to reinvent itself after a period of bland, uninspiring models. It started with the new 208 back in 2012, and it's been on an upward trend ever since, even though it wasn't something spectacular. The new 3008 SUV, however, seems to have been well-received thanks to its bold design and unique interior.
That is good news for Peugeot because the French company can very easily scale these two down and come up with other models that will hopefully turn out to be just as successful. Here, you're looking at one of them: the 1008 mini crossover.
The name 1008 is not official yet, but we'd be surprised if the lion brand decided to go for something else. The new models would slot nicely under the 2008, competing with other similar vehicles like the Ford EcoSport.
Since Peugeot is part of the PSA and it has recently acquired Opel as well, expect similar vehicles sporting Citroen and Opel design and badges to appear as well. It's three for the price of one these days for the PSA Group.
Before we go into the very sparse details of the powertrains that will be available, let us just point out what a good-looker this 208 mule is. The extra-wide wheel arches and the higher ride suit the French mini hatchback rather well, but that won't stop Peugeot's designers from coming up with a completely new look.
We suspect the 1008 crossover to come in front-wheel-drive only, much like the Renault Captur, for instance. It should also get a choice of three-cylinder turbocharged engines running on both gasoline and diesel, coupled to manual transmissions as standard, with the automatic costing a few extra bucks.
Since this is just an early mule, we expect the 1008 to debut late 2018 the earliest. Whether it will be joined at launch by its Citroen and Opel siblings or they will follow shortly after remains to be seen. In the meantime, keep watching this space for more spy shots as the team begins to test the production version of the body.
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