First Official Photos of New Peugeot 208 Supermini

The brand-new 2012 Peugeot 208 wasn't supposed to make its official appearance until later this week, but the first photos of the French supermini have already hit the interwebs.

The 208 is the successor to the Peugeot 207that has been in production since 2006, and it will compete against the likes of the Volkswagen Polo and Fiat Punto in the highly popular in Europe, B-segment.

According to the first details that were published along with the pictures, the 208 is more compact than the 207 measuring 3,975mm long, or 70mm less than its predecessor. More importantly, Peugeot's engineers managed to reduce the weight by a whopping 110kg or close to 250 pounds on average across the range.

The 208 will launch in Europe next spring with a choice of two petrol and five diesel engines.

The initial petrol range will include a pair of three-cylinder motors with a displacement of 1.0-liters and 1.2-liters, the most economical of which returns a combined fuel economy of 4.3 lt/100km [54.7mpg US or 65.7mpg UK] with CO2 emissions of just 99g/km.

The exterior design of the 208 draws its styling inspiration from the French brand's most recent concept models such as the HX1, while the interior is distinguished by the multi-layered dashboard featuring a prominent center console that plays host to a large infotainment screen.