Peugeot 208 and 2008: launch plans revised as electric demand slows

The initial plan was straightforward: the third-generation Peugeot 208 and 2008 were both due to arrive in 2026, exclusively with electric power. This was the intended direction for the French marque and for Stellantis as a whole.

However, demand for electric cars has not increased at the expected pace. As a result, many manufacturers have reassessed their strategies, either postponing their electrification plans or changing them entirely.

Peugeot will do a little of both. The current generations of the two models, introduced in 2019, will remain on sale for longer and, in at least one case, the next model will no longer be electric-only.

Avoiding the FIAT 500 scenario

Stellantis is keen to prevent its best-selling Peugeot model from following the path of the FIAT 500. The Italian city car’s third generation was launched in 2020 solely as an electric model. Although sales initially reached encouraging levels, they effectively fell off a cliff after three years. FIAT was forced to take a step back, with a combustion-engined 500 set to return at the beginning of next year.

According to the newspaper L’Automobile, the next-generation Peugeot 208 is therefore expected to follow the FIAT 500’s example to avoid more serious consequences. There will be two 208 versions: a fully electric model and a mild-hybrid. That is also the arrangement offered by the current generation, although its successor will drop the purely combustion-powered variants.

Peugeot 208 launch moved to 2027

The revised strategy has also changed the new generation’s launch timetable. Rather than arriving in 2026, it is now scheduled for 2027. This has created room for the introduction of a high-performance 208 variant, reviving the GTI badge. Discover it:

Peugeot 2008 gets a longer lifespan

While the 208 has been delayed by one year, the third-generation 2008 has been pushed back further still, from 2026 to 2028.

To remain competitive until almost the end of the decade, it is expected to receive another update, having already been revised in 2023, bringing technology and design developments. In this case, it should gain a facelift similar to the one we are about to see on the 308 and 408.

Unlike the 208, though, the third-generation Peugeot 2008 will remain true to the original plan and be electric-only. The expectation is that, by 2028, the electric-car market will have grown sufficiently to ensure the model’s commercial viability.

STLA Small platform and LFP batteries

The new generations of the Peugeot 208 and 2008 will share the new STLA Small platform, which will replace the current CMP architecture. Because their launches have been postponed, the platform could now debut in the next-generation Opel Corsa, recently previewed by a radical prototype created for the Gran Turismo video game.

Another change for the electric versions will be a new generation of lower-cost LFP (lithium iron phosphate) batteries, although they also offer lower energy density. The electric Peugeot 208 and 2008 currently use NMC (nickel, manganese, cobalt) battery chemistry.