Peugeot will be bringing back the GTi badge with the e-208 GTi that is set for unveiling ahead of this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race, reported Autocar. When it emerges, the e-208 GTi will be the latest to wear the GTi badge since the 308 GTi of 2017, and this will be a rival to the Alpine A290, itself based on the Renault 5 EV.
“We want to continue to nurture the reputation of the brand for driving sensations and the fact that our cars produce particular driving sensations, either as a driver or as someone that is being driven in the car,” Peugeot CEO Alain Favey told the publication previously.
Regarding other possible GTi variants or otherwise sportier models powered by an internal combustion engine, the possibility will depend on customer feedback, Favey said.
“We will start with the 208 and are definitely listening to inputs, or what our customers will say as well. We don’t exclude that there might be other executions of the 208 GTi under the GTi badge, but for today there’s absolutely nothing planned in that sense,” he said.
The current Peugeot 208 was given a facelift in 2023, following on from debut of the second-generation 208 range in 2019. In its latest guise, the e-208 gets a 156 PS motor driving the front wheels, drawing energy from a 51 kWh battery that offers up to 400 km of range (WLTP).
The 208 GTi in its first generation emerged in 2012, followed by its facelift in 2015. The 2015 208 GTi facelift received a slightly uprated 1.6 litre turbocharged petrol powerplant to get 208 hp and 300 Nm, driving the front wheels through a six-speed manual transmission.
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Current generation of 208 is already 5 years old and only now they’re going to launch a GTi version?
PSA /Stellantis is so super slow. I bet almost no one care when this is finally launched.
The tradegy (of their own making) is this then will only make them even more unwilling to produce a GTi in the future.
The current gen 308 isn’t even available with a GTI version. Peugeot already gave up on hot hatches some time ago (save for the 508 PSE).