[Jorma]

July 1 2014 will kick off the latest chapter of their small car story. An assertive step forward from the adored 107, the 108 will be looking to move Peugeot into a new range of consumer contemplation as well as attracting a new audience to the storied brand.

The styling is assertive and trendy, its character is expected to be chic and the shoppers are expected to bring it distinction, but does it appeal? Well depending on who you converse with the range or personalisation choices are either banal or a boon.

But how did the 108 end up as it has ended up? Well for starters it all began with an internal competition at PSA's Design Centre near Paris. Ivo Groën, Design Director for the Peugeot 108 says that the goal from the outset was to distinguish the 108 from the C1 and Aygo through premium and sophisticated feel, which is all part of Peugeots attempt to move themselves up market.

Ivo Groën:

“The 107 had a very cab-forward ‘mono-volume’ silhouette, which at launch in 2005 was very modern. We wanted to give the 108 more of a nose and the powerful feeling that comes with that. We wanted to reduce the glass and increase the sculpting of the body, and at the same time give it a timeless elegance.”

An integral part of pushing the brand upmarket was including premium components from high models in the Peugeot range. For example the premium bi-focal projector headlamps have been borrowed from the Peugeot 3008 Hybrid.

The improvements have not simply been cosmetic either. Cabin space in the 108 is nearly identical to the 107's however the 108 hs gained usable boot capacity over the 107, from 139 L to 196 L for the 108.

Ivo Groën:

“Throughout history Peugeots have been very simple and classy, but also sporty, dynamic and elegant. I believe we have achieved this with the Peugeot 108.”

I think Ivo has summed it quite succinctly, the 108 is a catapult intended to push Peugeot into new conversations, pitting its vehicles against new rivals which have always seemed just a touch out of reach...

 

[kingston]

that's one epic design

 

[BigWords]

The actual production model has stayed pretty close to waht we see in this design sketch. The biggest change that i can see is the more pronounced body contour on the sketch. That would have been cool to see on the production model. Probably would have made the 108 look a bit more fluid.

 

[Jorma]

The actual production model has stayed pretty close to waht we see in this design sketch. The biggest change that i can see is the more pronounced body contour on the sketch. That would have been cool to see on the production model. Probably would have made the 108 look a bit more fluid.

there are constraints though. It makes the design more suceptible to aging rapidly, as well as ill fitting of proportions. Plus dont forget the single contour line is the DEFINITION of the design from the get go, so on initial sketches it is often far more pronounced than what ends up in production...

 

[BigWords]

Yea, it is pretty common to have the sketches look like more exaggerated versions of what ends up happening with the production model.

Do you think that the 108 would look good in a sport model that had the addition of a spoiler at the back. It would be going for a bit more of a rally car feel in that case.