Peugeot 208 car of year
With rather less than the usual fanfare and ceremony — a result of the cancellation of the Geneva Motor Show due to Covid-19 — the new Peugeot 208 has been crowned the
2020 European Car of the Year.
Presentation of the annual award, founded in 1964, is traditionally an opening day Geneva Motor Show event.
The 208 becomes the sixth Peugeot to win the European Car of the Year award and has already won 12 other international awards.
The COTY judging panel, made up of 60 automotive journalists from 23 countries, acclaimed its range of electric, petrol or diesel powertrains that provides customers with “the power of choice”.
The jury also appreciated its bold design and technology.
The new supermini contender embodies the exterior design DNA of the brand with the distinctive “three-claw” LED front headlights and wheel arches.
Inside the Peugeot i-Cockpit (head-up display, compact steering wheel and touchscreen) innovates with a 3D digital cluster.
In the final phase of judging for the seven finalists, the Peugeot 208 gained 281 votes to beat the Tesla Model 3 with 242 and the third placed Porsche Taycan with 222. The other finalists were the BMW 1 Series, Ford Puma, Renault Clio and Toyota Corolla.
The new 208 is already achieving sales success with nearly 110,000 customers ordering the new model since its launch in Europe in October with 15 per cent of the mix are electric versions. In France, the 208 leads the registration rankings of the car market at the end of February 2020.
Peugeot’s previous winners of the European Car of the Year were the 3008 SUV in 2017, the compact hatch 308 in 2014, the 307 in 2002, the 405 in 1988 and the 504 in 1969.
The new 208 is planned to arrive in New Zealand at the beginning of 2021, while the electric e-208 with a 50kWh battery and estimated 295km driving range is likely to follow at a later date.