The new Peugeot 3008 has been crowned as the European Car of the year at this year’s Geneva Motor Show. This prestigious trophy joins the twenty other international prizes the new Peugeot 3008 has already won. The vehicle is the fifth Peugeot to win Car of the Year and the first SUV honoured in the history of the Car of the Year prize.

The new Peugeot 3008 SUV has since launch in October 2016 in Europe alone, nearly 100,000 customers who have already placed orders with 84% choosing level three Allure, GT Line or GT trims, contributing to the move upmarket of the Lion brand.

The new 3008 SUV offers a unique blend of style, comfort and road handling. Its spectacular new-generation i-Cockpit® offers a more intuitive and intense driving experience, thanks to its compact steering wheel, 12.3″ head-up display and central capacitive touchscreen console with ergonomic piano keys. A range of advanced driver safety features are standard across the range.

The new Peugeot 3008 is the first SUV winner since the creation of the trophy in 1964. It is also the fifth Peugeot vehicle named Car of the Year, following the 308 in 2014, the 307 in 2002, the 405 in 1988 and the 504 in 1969. The Car of the Year prize is awarded by a judging panel comprising 58 experienced journalists from 22 countries. Thirty models have been competing since early 2016. On 6 March 2017, on the eve of the Geneva Motor Show, the new PEUGEOT 3008 won over the panel in the final vote.

Having had the opportunity to have my first driving experience in the new Peugeot 3008 last week at the official Irish launch it is easy to see why it won over so many of the judging panel and it reaffirms the commitment from Peugeot as they aspire to become a major contender within the ever growing SUV market.