Group of Peugeot 208s caught in India!

Thanks to the Team-BHP fan (he prefers to remain anonymous) who sent these images in. Heartfelt gratitude for sharing them with other enthusiasts via this page! 

In June 2017, an uncamouflaged test mule of the Peugeot 208 was spotted in India. Now, images of a group of 208s have surfaced online. What is noticeable is that the cars in the images are no longer bearing temporary license plates, but have now been registered with the Pune RTO. This suggests that the carmaker might set up its office or a factory in or around the city.

The 208 has sweptback headlamp clusters with projector lamps, a black grille with a chrome border and round fog lamps. The front bumper gets chrome inserts as well. There are no request sensors on the door handles. 

One of the spy images gives us a glimpse of the interiors of the car. The vehicle gets all-black interiors and is equipped with a multi-functional 3-spoke steering wheel, which has silver insert on the lower spoke. The centre fascia houses a touchscreen infotainment system with the central air-conditioner vent located just below it. The side air-conditioner vents have silver inserts around them and the inside door handles also appear to be finished in silver. The car also gets front quarter glass. The absence of manual control stalks suggests that the car's ORVMs are electrically adjustable. A keyhole for the starter suggests that the car does not get an engine start/stop button. There is an "airbag" tag on the driver's seat, which means that the car is likely to be equipped with side airbags. The image also reveals that the upholstery gets white stitching.

Earlier reports have indicated that one of the cars tested in India was powered by a 3-cylinder petrol engine form the PureTech family. The PureTech range consists of a 1.0-litre engine making 66 BHP, a 1.2-litre unit producing 80 BHP and a 1.2-litre powerplant developing 108 BHP. In India, the Peugeot 208 is likely to be offered with the 1.2-litre, 3-cylinder engine that produces 80 BHP. A diesel version is likely to be offered as well. The 208 is expected to come with a choice of manual and automatic transmissions.

The PSA Group which owns the Peugeot and Citroen brands has already confirmed its plans to enter the Indian market by 2019. The French carmaker has also announced a collaboration with the CK Birla Group. In addition to the 208, Peugeot is also rumoured to be gearing up to launch the 308 hatchback in India.