Peugeot’s B-Segment crossover, the 2008 was just given a midlife refresh earlier this year, and within the span of a few short months, the French carmaker has already shifted close to 100,000 units worldwide.
Originally introduced here in Malaysia in January 2014, Peugeot had a hard time swaying customers over from the usual suspects (Honda City, Toyota Vios, etc), and sales of the 2008 took a back seat. It wasn’t the only B-Segment crossover to take the hit, because the pain was equally shared and felt by rival Ford EcoSport.
However, things in Europe seem far more different than the 2008’s fate in our region. Since its launch, over 500,000 units of the crossover have been sold, with at least 40,000 of them being in the UK alone. A quick word with Peugeot Malaysia revealed that the facelifted Peugeot 2008 is scheduled for market introduction by March 2017, and seeing the success Honda is enjoying with the HR-V, perhaps the French’s ‘second coming’ may stand the chance of bearing fruit.
Unlike the outgoing 2008, the facelift comes with a handful of updates, including two new engines; a 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol with three states of tunes (82 hp, 110 hp and 130 hp), and a 1.6-litre turbocharged diesel engine outputting either 75 hp, 100 hp or 120 hp. When it arrives here, expect the French crossover to come fitted with a six-speed automatic, as opposed to the four-speed currently offered.
Trim levels vary by region; there’s the entry level Access, Active, Allure and range topping GT Line (seen in the pictures here). In Europe, the Allure and GT Lines get updated with wheel arch extensions, new gloss black front grille, front and rear scuff plates. As it is, the most popular colour are Bianca White, Nimbus Grey and Ultimate Red.
Judging by Peugeot Malaysia’s recent strategy, we can expect them to introduce either the Allure or GT Line trim, both potentially equipped with a 7-inch touchscreen panel that supports Apple CarPlay and MirrorScreen functionalities, reverse camera, Active City Brake and Park Assist. If the safety features do make their way here, it would be a class-first.
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