What's the news?

Peugeot told us about its plans to win the Dakar Rally only a few weeks ago, and we were a little disappointed not to be shown the car at the time, but we think you'll agree that it was worth the wait. Ladies and gentlemen, say hello to the Peugeot 2008 DKR.

Exterior

Peugeot's designers have done well to graft the 2008's styling cues front and rear onto the rather more extreme DKR model. The racer has only two doors for a start, so this is in effect a 2008 coupé. Riding on 37-inch diameter Michelin tyres... Here's a good insight from Michaël Trouvé, Peugeot Design Manager, confirming that the rear of the racer was relatively easy to style like the road car, but the front less so: "Due to the off-road capability needed, the approach angle had to be very high. This meant a very short overhang, which in turn resulted in a front-end design that was quite different to that of the production version. Happily, the technical team didn't hesitate to listen to our arguments and accepted to reposition certain parts which could have been a problem for us. That gave us a little freedom to design a front end that resembled the look of the road car as closely as possible."

Mechanicals

Peugeot hasn't told us what engine will power the 2008 DKR, though it has confirmed that the race car will send its power to two wheels only. Logically for the intended terrain that means the rear wheels, which is at odds with the production version. Doing away with four-wheel drive means there was scope to fit bigger wheels with longer suspension travel.

Anything else?

Carlos Sainz and Cyril Despres will pilot the 2008 DKR in the 2015 Dakar rally. Sainz commented on the development of the new Peugeot: "The end result is like no other two-wheel drive car. It is very compact and that's good. Having done the last two Dakars in a two-wheel drive car, I am convinced it is a solution that can win the event. Okay, it calls for a carefully-designed car which is at ease on all the different types of terrain visited by the event, but I know that Peugeot Sport has the necessary expertise, technology and means to pull off what is a unique and stimulating challenge for everyone in the team."