Peugeot will flesh out its revived GTi performance line-up with more models beyond the new e-208 hot hatch as part of a push to put “great driving sensations” at the core of its brand positioning.
The e-208 GTi is the latest entrant into a small but growing field of electric hot hatchbacks and will take on the Alpine A290 and Volkswagen ID Polo GTI with 278bhp, a 5.7sec 0-62mph time and a mechanical limited-slip differential.
It is the first GTi hot hatch Peugeot has launched since the previous-generation 308 range-topper arrived in 2017 and now the brand’s CEO, Alain Favey, has told Autocar that the company is planning to follow it up with more performance models bearing the hallowed badge.
Asked if the hot 208 will be part of a new family of performance models, he said: "We would not do it if we didn't think that we want the GTi badge to continue existing in future. So definitely we will make sure that there is a future for GTI which goes beyond just that one."
He added that GTi is an important part of Peugeot’s heritage and is being resurrected as part of a push to “position the brand – to say very clearly that Peugeot stands for great driving sensations. That's part of what we are”.
He stopped short of giving any details as to what form these future hot hatchbacks will take, but said: "The important thing is to make sure that wherever there is a GTI badge, you get an experience that is one of a kind and absolutely the top in the category. So that's why it might take a few more months to get to that point.”
The next generation of the larger 308, due in around 2028, would seem a likely candidate for a GTi version, given that nameplate has recent performance heritage to leverage – meaning Peugeot could once again offer a rival to the likes of the VW Golf GTI and Cupra Leon.
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