The electric Peugeot e-208 could provide the basis for the brand’s new street sports model, and what’s even nicer: it is said to still retain the GTi name.
Although no final decision has been made yet, there is a good chance that Peugeot will be able to offer an urban sports car again in the near future. The iconic GTi type designation can be carried forward by the new generation 208 - even with a purely electric drive. Peugeot CEO Jean-Philippe Imparato told the British magazine Autocar
PSE is not the same, nor can it be the same as GTi, as they do not provide the same user experience. PSE is completely reinterpreting the concept of performance, driving dynamics. ” Said Jean-Philippe Imparato, CEO of Peugeot, in an interview. “Motorsport as a genre only has a future if it is electric. In addition to electrified street cars, an internal combustion engine sports car would be unbelievable and meaningless. ”
These statements rang the alarm bell over the GTi sub-brand for many, but now the factory still doesn’t seem to have put it off the long-established sports car family.
“There are markets where you could find a classic‘ hot hatch ’for a very strong market. We are now working to create the GTi of the future. However, there is only one model where such a type would have a raison d’être, and that is the 208 - even with an electric motor. For all our other model families, only PSE sports versions are possible. ” Imparato explained the situation to the British magazine Autocar.
(Source: vezess.hu / photo: pixabay.com)