Driven: Peugeot 208

When your name is Thierry Peugeot, it’s a given that at some point you’re going to have to take your place in the family business. To be fair, he went out and did other stuff first, living and working in different parts of the world including North and South America in businesses that were nothing to do with cars. But eventually he had to realise his calling and is now chairman of the Supervisory Board of PSA, the parent company of Peugot and Citroen. As a dinner guest at the launch of the 208 supermini, he was entertaining company. No startling news on future product plans, but honesty about the company’s present situation, good and bad. Interestingly, he confirmed they will be back in mainstream motorsport at some point, but explained the cost simply outweighed the benefit so the plug was pulled. The 208 is a decent enough successor to the 207 and offers a wide range of petrol and diesel engines, though a strange notchy and noisy gearchange. Whether it’s good enough to take Peugeot’s share of the supermini segment to the 10 per cent target – in the UK last year it was 6.8 per cent – is another matter. The French brands have been hit hard by the rise of the Koreans and that situation isn’t going to go away.