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Peugeot is killing off the GTI badge and ending its long relationship with hot hatches, despite being responsible for pioneering the segment in the eighties with the iconic 205 GTI.

Fans of cars like the 106, 205 and 306 GTI have longed for a modern interpretation but Peugeot has decided to end the iconic three letters on its cars for good, which are currently carried by the 207.

Peugeot plans 207...Read the full article

 Permit me to be the first to make the boring predictable response that this article is designed to elicit : "Ah well, it hasn't meant anything for years anyway".

This seems like another wrong move by Peugeot.

It may be true that recent Peugeot GTis didn't recreate the excitement of classics like the 205, but to just give up on an important part of the company's (fairly) recent history - and give up on one of the most liked and respected types of car produced by the company - is the wrong response.

Renault conitnues with its hot hatches which are always well received. Why has Peugeot thrown in the towel? Producing the RCZ is fine, but it's not necessary to give up on this sector in order to produce cars to compete (if they do) with Audi.

Just when things seemed to be going in the right direction - the new 5008, 3008 (apart from the looks), RCZ. Seems they are determined to scupper their chances.

A decimate wrong move by PSA. They fail to cash in on Loebs multiple world championships and now they get Peugeot to drop the badge that could create the halo effect they could build on. They have confirmed that they are now just a maker of cheap cars, not exactly the Drive of Your Life is it?

 its such a shame i grew up as a kid wantin a 205gti even i even liked the 405 mi16 (if anyone can remember that model) now though there is nothing in the whole range that gets me remotely interested!  the 106gti was probably the last decent car they made! another failing brand! plus there dealers seem to be failing also! i dont know what this is down to but in my city our dealership has closed its doors! which means 2 of the biggest cities in scotland dont have peugeot dealers!      

Hmm. This seems like a mistake. The 206 and 207 GTIs weren't very well received by the press, but, like the improving dynamics of the latest two Peugeots (3008 and 5008), any future GTIs might have been brilliant. Still, if Peugeot can pull their whole rebranding off, with the 208, RCZ and 5008 etc, then maybe it won't be too bad. Still, it's sad to see that Renault are now the only French company making hot hatches - there were three French brands making very good ones just ten years ago.

Notiron:

"Ah well, it hasn't meant anything for years anyway".

True, true. Very true.

The 206 arrived when the period of exciting Peugeots - 205 GTI; 309 GTI16; 405 T16 - had long gone. The market had moved on and become too schizophrenic in chasing refinement and the blurring of market niches. It's almost incredible to think that Peugeot used to make interesting big cars, as the late '90s signalled that their key customer had become the lady driver or other type of woman - Arty, possibly. Garish styling and Bollywood-bling were never going to make the 206 an interesting car.

Peugeots are now prettier and quite refined, but soulless and extremely expensive, and there may not be enough barrel-shaped housewives buying CCs to keep UK dealerships afloat.

Lets hope its just the badge they are killing off.

What we all want from Peugeot i think, is for them to remember how to make cars that drive well again. when they have done that, if they want to make a fast version, i dont care what badge they stick on it.

And they can make as many coupe's as they want. the same applies, if they drive well, fine. If they dont, why bother in the first place.

I think there are some signs that the company is moving in the right direction now with their recent cars but there is a long way to go.  

 

 

I agree with this totally and was lucky enough to have a  1.6 205gti. What a great car that was ! IMHO everything Peugeot has produced since has been a backwards step. Still not convinced they can produce fast light roadholding cars with a good ride anymore.

If they are rebranding they need to look long and hard at how ugly the present crop of cars are. A nosejob is needed straightaway ! Then they have an uphill struggle to get some reliability back into the brand.  

I dont think they can succeed against up and coming far Eastern Brands like Hyundai and Kia. Citroen is only just emerging from the dark ages too . Maybe it all started to go wrong shortly after the PSA merger. While I am at it Renault looks pretty bland at the moment too. Where did French design flair go then ?

Just shows there is no place for complacency in todays competitive market.

 

As long as they don't try to kill off my 1.9 GTi. He's noisy and rattly, but he always was.

Don't know what you've all got against the snarling lion snout. Oh, hang on, yes I do. My missus prefers the Megane Coupe to the RCZ 'cos she thinks the RCZ looks "strange"; and I quote.

Anyway I'll say it again: they only think French market. I'll probably get abused for it again. My (now Honda) dealer used to come back from the German dealer meetings incredibly frustrated because they just wouldn't listen to the needs or the dealers in another country. Still think it's sad.

Fair enough...what with the likelyhood of any hot one being a small capacity turbo seems silly to focus on just the injection part of the engine. For that matter can you even buy a new car without injection?!

"Anyway I'll say it again: they only think French market."

you are absolutly right, Dave52!

"the GTI concept that we all knew, now it`s dead..."

 

AHAHAHAHAH!!!

that`s true! (France is DEAD!)

it`s just takes a second to see what the French have as presidential car... the best thing that they can have is an... I do not know how old it is, but still it is OLD -> Citroën-Maserati SM

and in England, at least, the Queen as an bespoke Bentley...

anyway, the French are brainwashed with CO2 emissions, small diesel engines, and some jokes, like the RCZ, that only competes with low budget pocket (men-woman), that`s the fuc%^& truth...

and the Renault Sports, still, Renault needs to do something to justify the F1 expense, and after killing Alpine, they should do things other than DCi engines in the Dieppe factory...

 

ahahahah!

please Peugeot, please, kill yourself...