► Newly facelifted Peugeot 2008
► Plus the Traveller MPV
► All the Pug news from Geneva
Peugeot had a quieter Geneva motor show in 2016, whipping the covers off the facelifted 2008 and its new Traveller people-moving van.
The 2008 was first launched in 2013 and has proved a smash hit for Peugeot; sales rose in Europe by 10% last year contributing to the lion’s 5% jump in sales. It’s now built in France, Brazil and China – and more than half a million have been produced in the three years it’s been on sale.
To defend that position, Peugeot is giving the baby crossover a lick of paint, a bigger-grilled facelift and some new technology to keep fingers onboard entertained.
So what’s new on the 2016 Peugeot 2008?
Most obvious is the more SUV-alike body cladding, standard on Allure level and above, lending the car a tougher, muddier stance. The sporty GT Line trim seen elsewhere in the Peugeot range is now available on 2008 and an infotainment upgrade brings Apple CarPlay and MirrorLink technology for syncing smartphones.
A people-moving bus too
Also new in Geneva is the Peugeot Traveller, the nine-seat minibus version of the brand’s latest van. It’s based on the French firm’s current EMP2 platform, lending it a more car-like array of technology and engines.
These vehicles are popular in the airport run and hotel hospitality scene – and to showcase what Peugeot can do, it’s showing the Traveller i-Lab VIP people carrier at Geneva: with four individual captains’ armchairs, a giant 32-inch tablet computer and virtual reality headsets, it’s the MPV for Generation X.
Cleverer sat-nav too
Look out also for the latest Peugeot Connect sat-nav system; it combines TomTom real-time traffic data, 3D mapping, voice activation and free lifetime updates four times a year so your cartography onboard is never out of date.
It’s a sign that Peugeot is developing a wide-ranging suite of connected services. Make no mistake: apps and manufacturer services are the next big battleground.
Read more of CAR’s 2016 Geneva motor show coverage here
Click here for CAR’s A-Z guide to the 2016 Geneva motor show
