A new Peugeot drove down the catwalk in Paris last week to lots of bubbly acclaim. It's the 207, successor to the 206 which has broken all Peugeot production records with more than five million sold. It's actually going to be around for a few more years, fading away like a good old soldier.
The 207 predictably is bigger than its predecessor, being longer, wider and slightly higher and that, says Peugeot engineers, enhances its roadholding, safety and interior comfort.
But perhaps the most significant feature is two distinct shapes, evident from the shape of the gaping mouth that is actually the air inlet. The five door's mouth has horizontal lines while the three door's is a more sporty honeycomb configuration with a bit of extra embellishment.
It's meant to emphasise ownership differences, families preferring the former and young singles the latter. One is called Classic the other Sport.
The 207 is now bearing a strong resemblance to its 307 and 407 siblings exemplified by those sweeping large front headlamps.
We will see it it on the Irish market in mid-summer. Standard comfort equipment on all models here will include air conditioning and electric front windows while in the list of optional extras are a perfume dispenser, directional headlights, a detection system for under-inflated tyres and rear parking sensors.
The engine line-up will have three petrol and three diesel engines. Most popular for Irish buyers will be the two 1.4 litre petrol units with 75 and 90bhp. Diesel models will include two 1.4 litre HDi versions with 70 and 90bhp.
The static presentation in Paris last week showed 14 different body colours, five specification levels and two interior ambiences.
Top badge was a GT, not to be confused with a GTi which put not just the 206 but its predecessor, the 205, into the hot hatch stakes. There will be a 207GTi, according to Peugeot, but not just yet.
In that context, two higher-performing engines developed with BMW are coming at the end of this year. They are a high pressure direct-injection petrol 1.6 with 150bhp and a normally aspirated 1.6 with variable valve timing.
Peugeot engineers were stressing the 207's safety armoury at the debut. They claimed that the structural design would resist impact levels even more severe than those of regulatory or Euro NCAP tests. They said too that it met the new European directive on pedestrian impact protection with increased absorbent padding and a pedestrian impact beam.
Peugeot is estimating production of the 207 at 3,100 units a day at three plants in France, Spain and Slovakia. If it matches the success of the 206, then over 500,000 should take to the roads in the first year of production.
The split between diesel and petrol is almost 50:50, although Irish diesel buyers are likely to be a small minority.
Peugeot's renaissance has much to do with the 205, whose chubby Gallic charm wowed buyers in the mid 1980s when Peugeot sales were faltering. It was largely responsible for a revival in Peugeot's fortunes as a car manufacturer.
That success was exceeded by the 206 with its five million plus production tally. Now the latest manifestation of the 2 series looks set to accelerate boldly into the 21st century and perhaps create another record.