Peugeot will launch a hotted-up version of its all-electric e-208 compact hatch, and it’s set to revive the brand’s GTi badge as its first sporty electric vehicle (EV).
Speaking to Autocar, Peugeot CEO Alain Favey said the French brand “will reintroduce the GTi on the e-208 as soon as possible”.
He said it would be an important step for Peugeot to reconnect to its sporty past, leveraging its sporty pedigree and reforming a link between the brand’s road cars and its current motorsports endeavours, like its World Endurance Championship (WEC) team.
Reviving the GTi badge – which was put aside when the previous-generation Peugeot 308 exited production in 2021 – was also outlined as one of Mr Favey’s top priorities when he assumed the role of Peugeot CEO in February 2025.
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Peugeot e-208
Peugeot’s announcement comes as something of a French hot hatch renaissance in the electric age, following the he wild-looking Renault 5 Turbo 3E EV hot hatch and the Alpine A290, the latter of which is based on the standard Renault 5 E-Tech.
“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,” Favey said, as quoted by Autocar.
Though it’ll be the first Peugeot GTi car to feature an all-electric drivetrain, Mr Favey suggested a broader sporty lineup or models with internal combustion power will depend on customer opinion.
“We will start with the 208 and [are] definitely listening to your inputs, or what our customers will say as well,” he said.
“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.”
Autocar suggests the e-208 GTi could use the same powertrain as the Abarth 600e, given both compact hatches use the same Stellantis e-CMP platform.
The 600e utilises a front-mounted electric motor producing 175kW and a Torsen limited-slip differential, with a 0-100km/h sprint time of 6.2 seconds. There’s also a hotter Scorpionissima variant, which produces up to 207kW of power.
It’s possible the e-208 GTi could be marginally faster than the 600e if it’s lighter, and there’s also a chance a hotter special could be built alongside the Scorpionissima.
That would be a spiritual successor to the previous limited-run 208 GTi 30th by Peugeot Sport – tuned by the French brand’s performance division.
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2018 Peugeot 208 GTi Edition Definitive -
The last time Peugeot sold the 208 in Australia was 2018, when it was available in both standard and GTi trims. A non-special edition Peugeot 208 GTi manual cost $29,990 before on-roads in its final year on sale here – up $3000 on the warm 208 GT-line.
The GTi produced 153kW and 300Nm from a 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine, with drive sent to the front wheels only for a 0-100km/h time of 6.8 seconds.
While the current, second-generation 208 has yet to make its way Down Under, Peugeot has previously said its arrival would only happen in electric e-208 form, if at all.
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