PARIS – Peugeot will not sell a station wagon version of its new 208 subcompact car, company sources told Automotive News Europe.
The French brand is expected to launch a SUV-styled model instead, badged 2008.
A Peugeot spokesman said models based on the new 208 won't necessarily match those spun off the outgoing 207 subcompact. "As an example, we are not going to offer something like the 207 CC," he said.
Peugeot would not confirm reports it will launch a 208-based SUV, but has spoken about the growing importance of the niche, citing the success of the Nissan Juke.
"It is an interesting segment. We need to be present, " Guillaume Couzy, Peugeot's marketing and communications director, said at the Geneva auto show earlier in March.
Peugeot previewed a potential subcompact SUV with the HR1 concept unveiled at the Paris auto show in 2010. A production version of the HR1 is likely to debut at the Paris show later this year.
Peugeot has sold wagon versions of both the 207 and the 206. Renault also sells a station wagon version of its Clio subcompact, but has yet to decide whether it'll do so with the new-generation Clio, on sale in November.
