Return of a hot hatch legend: Peugeot will reveal its first GTi model in years today
Peugeot's sporting sub-brand to make its return on the eve of Le Mans for a feisty Alpine A290 rival
New E-208 GTI is tipped for 237bhp and a Torsen limited-slip diff
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Peugeot will reveal a hot GTi variant of the electric e-208 supermini on the eve of the Le Mans 24 Hour race today.
The brand has confirmed that its long-mooted Alpine A290 rival, officially confirmed by Peugeot boss Alain Favey earlier this year, will be unwrapped on 13 June. It has given no details, but says it will be "fun to drive, agile, powerful - built to deliver an unforgettable driving experience".
It will be the first GTi model since the previous-generation Peugeot 308 went off sale in 2021 and Peugeot's first sporty pure-electric car.
Speaking to media recently, Favey said: 'I'm in a position to confirm that we will reintroduce the GTi on the e-208 as soon as possible. We've made the decision that Peugeot GTi will be reintroduced.'
He added that it is a 'signal' about 'what it means to reconnect to our past, our history' and that it would link the French brand's road cars to its involvement in motorsport - particularly the World Endurance Championship, in which it fields the 9X8 hypercar.
'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 for a broader GTi line-up or a sporting model with a combustion engine, Favey suggested it will depend on customer feedback.
He said: 'We will start with the 208 and [are] definitely listening to your 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."
Confirmation of the GTi badge's return comes after Favey said that he would consider it as one of his first jobs since taking over as Peugeot CEO in February.
The new e-208 GTi is tipped to use the same powertrain as the closely related Abarth 600e, which is based on the same e-CMP platform.
The high-riding Italian hot hatch gets a 237bhp motor mounted up front with a Torsen limited-slip differential, and tout a 0-62mph sprint time of 6.2sec.
It's possible that a lighter and lower-set e-208 equipped with the same powertrain could cut that to below 6.0sec.
Both the Abarth and the closely related Alfa Romeo Junior Veloce are also offered with a punchier 278bhp motor, leaving room for a special edition in the vein of the previous 208 GTi by Peugeot Sport.
Green-lighting the e-208 GTi for production is also likely to result in a hot version of the Vauxhall Corsa Electric, given that the two models are twinned and Vauxhall has already confirmed plans for a hot Mokka GSE using the Abarth 600e's powertrain.
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