Peugeot 308 news - Keeping it in the family - 2007

We're not convinced by this craze for 'family faces' sweeping through the car world.

Yes, sticking the same front end on all your cars might be good for brand recognition or something else equally buzz-wordy, but if your family face was Peugeot's current crop, wouldn't you consider surgery? Or, at least for the sake of your offspring, avoidance of interbreeding?

These are the first shots of the Peugeot 308, the successor to the 307 and proud exponent of the Pug family face.

And the styling is almost depressingly predictable. The 308 gets the wide, gaping grill and pointier, more aggressive nose of the 207. It's not pretty, but at least you'll know it's a Peugeot.

There has been some Gallic cloning at play round the back of the 308, though, with a steatopygous rear end reminiscent of the fat-arsed Megane.

Peugeot is promising an improvement in the interior quality over the 307, with a fresh dash and more robust materials.

There's no firm word on engines yet, but expect the 308 to get the 1.6-litre petrol and diesel variants found in the new Mini line-up.

The 308 will doubtless spawn coupe-cabriolet and station wagon variants in the not-too-distant future.

We'll have more details on the 308 before it reaches these shores in the autumn.