SUVs offensive says Peugeot! Actually, no it doesn't. The truth is, disappointingly, rather less rebellious with Peugeot instead pinning its dreams on a 4x4 and crossover themed product range embodied, at its most extreme interpretation, by the
3008 Dakar
If that's got your hopes up for the civilian version of the 3008 sharing its Paris debut with the Dakar monster then best advice is to peg them back to something a little more realistic. Launched under the headline "Peugeot disrupts the SUV C-segment market" you'll perhaps have to indulge a bit of Vive la France chest beating given the location for the unveiling and, you'd expect, hopes for Peugeot's bottom line. Neither this, nor the 5008 seven-seater sharing the show platform, are cars likely to get PH hearts racing but, inevitably, represent the key battleground for volume manufacturers in this day and age.
And both cars use the latest intepretation of Peugeot's double-decked 'i-Cockpit', now with an even smaller steering wheel with flattened lower and upper edges to, respectively, clear your thighs and offer a better view of the 12.3-inch digital screen with - gasp - 'futuristic' graphics. This assumes you'll be able to find a position with the wheel that permits you to actually see them of course. A central 8-inch central touchscreen, meanwhile, controls most of the in-car systems.
There will be GT and GT Line versions of the 3008, perhaps reflecting the success of equivalent trim levels in the 308 range. Indeed, Peugeot is happy to report 20 per cent of 308 sales are either GT, GT Line or GTI by Peugeot Sport with the 208 and 308 versions of the latter joining the 3008 Dakar and a 208 WRX rallycross car in a dedicated area. SUV offensive or not it's nice to see Peugeot rediscovering its sporting side too.