PEUGEOT E-208
Electric hatchback arrives with at least four crucial questions to answer
Agueda Yellow paint makes agood design stand out all the more
FIRST REPORT
WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To get under the skin of a promising hatch and assess its tech in daily use
French car makers have always done things a little differently.
At various times they have tried – somewhat successfully – to change the perception that a car needed to be a box on wheels. Remember the shark-like Citroën DS, a car that made half-covered wheels cool, then the bonkerslooking Ami 6 and, more recently, the daft Renault Avantime MPV.
At other times, they have tried – less successfully – to reimagine what a car should be. There was the Renault Project 900, a car that was built back to front (yes, really); the Voisin Biscooter, which looked more like a school project than a production car; and even the propeller-driven Leyat Helica, because who doesn’t want a plane that doesn’t fly?
We can’t leave out the Renault Twizy and Citroën Ami electric two-seaters, created as alternative mobility vessels. The Ami in particular feels like it has been produced for French 14-yearolds who are fed up with cycling everywhere.