2013 Peugeot 208 R confirmed for production

Peugeot has recently confirmed that a range-topping 208 R will see the light of day very soon.

In the interview given to one of the automotive news agency, Peugeot’s CEO Maxime Picat provided some details about the company’s future plans. We feel that the most important piece of information disclosed by the executive refers to an “R” version of the 208 which will sit above the current GTi. Though he did not give any idea when the car will be unveiled but the chances are that we won’t see it anytime before 2015.

If the earlier reports are to be believed, the Peugeot 208 R will follow the same recipe used on the RCZ R which could mean more power in a lighter body. The 208 GTi comes fitted with the same 1.6-liter, 4-cylinder THP engine as the RCZ R and 308 R concept but the 208 R will probably not match the power figures of those two since it’s considerably lighter.

Picat stated that Peugeot’s has plans to go upmarket in Europe since this is the only solution to keep its manufacturing footprint. While Citroën is expected to expand its DS lineup, Peugeot will move upmarket by offering premium versions of each model.