Peugeot

And our spies were on hand to get some exclusive snaps, unmasking the range’s sportiest model. Fitting perfectly into the Lion’s family, the 308 doesn’t debut any radical styling features – at the front, the three-door car will be virtually identical to its five-door brother. But as you will see from exclusive images published in Auto Express magazine this week, the car is most distinctive from the rear.

Without the need to make room for back doors, designers at the company have been able to pen a sweeping C-pillar, which gives the hatchback a much more striking appearance.

Inside, both models will share the same cabin layout. As a result, buyers benefit from a neat design with circular air vents and cowled instrument dials. Official boot capacity figures for the two variants have yet to be announced, but it’s likely that the five-door will be the more practical offering.

The three-door will be marketed as the sportier alternative instead. It gets several engines from the outgoing 307 range, as well as the new 1.6 petrol units Peugeot has co-developed with BMW. Already seen in the latest MINI line-up, these naturally aspirated and turbocharged motors impress with their fuel efficiency.

The 308 is on sale here in the autumn, but the bad news for hot hatch fans is that there’s still no sign of a GTi. For now, the maker is concentrating on launching SW, estate and folding hard-top CC versions.