PARIS, Sept 7 — Peugeot has been receiving a lot of plaudits lately for its crossover SUVs, especially the 3008 which was named European Car of the Year just last year.

Now its focus is returning to the supermini segment it's also enjoyed considerable success in over the years with a completely new generation of the 208 that's now being seen out and about on European roads undergoing testing.

It was originally expected that a completely redesigned 208 would have been launched this year to follow on from the successful redesign of the larger 308.

However, as the PSA group has been concentrating on expanding the DS brand, maintaining the impressive momentum of the Peugeot 3008 and 5008 SUVs, and a new 2008 is also on the way soon, the all-new 208 has been pushed back to early 2019.

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As camouflaged versions of the new 208 in what appears to be its production form are now being seen in public — with photos appearing on motor1.com and carscoops.com, the smart money is on a full reveal happening at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show in March of next year.

The new 208 looks to be closely following the latest Peugeot signature look with the intricate light designs already in evidence on models such as the 3008 SUV and 508 sedan.

Although the 208 will look a lot like a smaller version of the excellent 308, the new model will be only the second PSA model to be built on the new CMP platform after the DS 3 Crossback SUV that's due to be unveiled soon.

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Like a lot of new platforms, as well as delivering more internal space and better packaging, CMP is also specifically designed to accommodate EV powertrains as well as small displacement turbocharged conventional engines.

Not much is known about the all-electric version of the new 208, other than Peugeot promising a range on a single charge of more than 300km, and that it will look almost the same as combustion engine versions.

As well as a new interior that's sure to draw considerable inspiration from the highly regarded cabin of the latest 308 and 3008 models, the new 208 is also likely to be one of the first superminis on the market to be offered with some of the latest semi-autonomous driving technology. — AFP-Relaxnews