Peugeot has unveiled the 2008 DKR Dakar racer. It will debut in the 2015 edition of the famous rally event. It is a two wheel drive instead of an all-wheel drive.

The DKR doesn't have much in common with the production car except for its grille, headlights and taillights. This version here is more muscular looking and has an aggressive stance. If only it was road worthy!

“Given the off-road capability of two-wheel drive transmission and its ability to run on sand, that’s the choice we ultimately went for. It enabled us to fit bigger wheels and also to benefit from more suspension travel,” said Jean-Christophe Pailler, Project Leader at Peugeot Sport. As a consequence, the Peugeot 2008 DKR rides on 37-inch (almost 940mm) diameter Michelin tyres.

“Due to the off-road capability needed, the approach angle had to be very high. This meant a very short overhang, which in turn resulted in a front-end design that was quite different to that of the production version,” explains Giovanni Rizzo, the 2008’s exterior designer.

Peugeot is not talking about its powertrain just yet.