Hopes of Peugeot making a return to the United States were dashed when Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares announced the French brand will remain the reserve of other markets only. That's a shame, as Peugeot's contemporary lineup is exquisite. The 3008, for example, is a gorgeous compact SUV with a creamy-smooth ride and bucketloads of style.

And now the Paris-based brand has given us a glimpse of some more forbidden fruit. It's called the 408 and, for some reason, Peugeot is being rather secretive about it. The company describes the newcomer as "a new species of Peugeot" that "combines the characteristic codes of SUVs with a dynamic Fastback silhouette."

This does, at least, give us insight into the design direction Peugeot is heading. We anticipate the 408 will debut as a fashionable coupe SUV and take on mainstream rivals such as Renault's sleek Arkana and the Toyota CH-R.

Hopefully, it gleans some details from the bewitching 9X8 hypercar but it's more likely to be a mash-up of the 308 hatchback and 508 sedan. Numerically, it slots in between the aforementioned Peugeots and will likely do the same in terms of the lineup. Not much is known about the powertrain, except for the fact that it will be a plug-in hybrid.

The French automaker currently has several PHEVs, ranging from the 180- and 225-horsepower setups found in the 308 to the more performance-oriented systems with as much as 360-hp in the 508 PSE. We anticipate the 408 will come with all the aforementioned outputs. A high-performance model would certainly do well, as demand for rapid crossovers continues to rise. We expect more conventional ICE variants, too.

As part of the Stellantis group, Peugeot is rapidly embracing the electric future. Several of its vehicles, such as the e-208 and e-2008, are already available as pure EVs. As the newest member of the Peugeot family, we wouldn't be surprised to see the arrival of an e-408 in the coming months. Over in Europe, electric crossovers are big business, with EVs such as the Skoda Enyaq and Volkswagen ID.5 enjoying great popularity.

Peugeot says the 408 will be introduced in June, so we can expect plenty of teasers to follow before the official unveiling. Based on the brand's current design language, it will be a looker, while its current pricing strategy in France suggests the 408 will start at around €30,000 (approx. $32,000) for the base model.

This would make sense, as the Renault Arkana is priced at around €31,300. We can't wait to see the final product. It's just a pity we'll never get our hands on one.