Peugeot 2008 DKR heading for the Dakar Rally. Not that it looks much like a 2008

The Peugeot 2008 DKR has been revealed as a Dakar-challenging take on the 2008 Crossover with extreme styling and rear-wheel-drive.

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After steering clear of the Dakar Rally for a quarter of a century, Peugeot is back in the endurance rally game with the Peugeot 2008 DKR, a rally car that shares its name with Peugeot’s 2008 Crossover – but little else.

Instead of the almost cutesy looks of the 2008, the 2008 DKR gets looks that could have come from Mad Max with a sinister-looking black paint job, just two doors, short overhangs for better obstacle negotiation, 37″ off-road tyres and a thumping great wing at the back.

Unlike most cars that tackle the Dakar, Peugeot has decided that rear-wheel-drive is the way to go as it allows for bigger wheels and more suspension travel, rather than the four-wheel-drive preferred by the majority of entrants.

So far, peugeot hasn’t revealed exactly what lies beneath the 208 DKR and we jave no idea just how powerful – or capable – it is.

The 2015 Dakar Rally starting on 3rd January 2015 – with Peugeot’s 208 DKR sporting Total and red Bull livery – before heading through South America on its 16 day, 5,600 mile battle with Carlos Sainz and Cyril Despres at the wheel, and Peugeot have promised more information on the 2008 DKR at the Beijing Motor Show on 20th April.