Peugeot GTi future: hybrid power could be coming, but no hot SUVs

The Peugeot GTi hot hatch is back, and Alain Favey is the man to thank. The genial Frenchman became Peugeot CEO in February 2025, and one of his first big decisions was to green-light the E-208 GTi. 

Its 205 GTi forebear, unveiled 40 years ago, is one of the brand’s greats, a car which ushered in an era when even mainstream Peugeots like the 306 and 406 were sparkling to drive. With European brands searching for an emotional edge to fight off Chinese rivals, it’s no surprise the boss is doubling down on driving dynamics and reviving the GTi badge to rev up Peugeot’s image.

Favey unveiled the new E-208 GTi at the 2026 edition of the Le Mans 24 Hours race, having shown a prototype there a year earlier. 

New E-208 GTi: power, acceleration and price

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“The new E-208 GTi delivers the highest power in its class – 281 horsepower – a bit more than the 205 GTi’s 130,” he chuckles. “It has the best power-to-weight ratio in its segment. And last year we promised to reach 100kmh from zero in 5.7 seconds: that is the only promise we haven’t kept – because the production car will [take] 5.5 seconds!” 

Auto Express is meeting the former Skoda and Bentley sales and marketing boss at Peugeot’s stand overlooking the Le Mans circuit’s famous Dunlop Curves. The sparkling white production car peppered with red flourishes stands in a corner: the pricing starts at £34,995, with UK deliveries set for early 2027.

Petrolheads may regret that this GTi is purely electric, but France’s ‘malus écologique’ tax hikes up prices so dramatically for any petrol or hybrid car emitting more than 108g/km of CO2 that a petrol GTi is a non-starter. But with a limited-slip differential to manage 276bhp across the front axle, a faster steering rack, lowered suspension and a bespoke battery-cooling system to ensure performance doesn’t drop off, the electric GTi promises to be big fun. 

But Favey explains that E-208 GTi volume is limited. “Usually when we launch a new car, it's about selling as much as we can but that’s not the case for GTi, and that's maybe my Bentley [experience] coming back, where it’s all about exclusivity and desire. We’re doing GTi because it’s part of our DNA. We believe there’s a halo effect of having a GTi that will make the brand more attractive, and that will help us sell 2008, 3008 or whatever else. It’s not about how many GTis we sell.”

Hybrid, SUV, more models: what’s the future of GTi?

Given Favey’s passion for the project and the excellence of previous hot 308s, could more GTi models follow? “There will not be another GTi if it’s not a real GTi,” he reveals.

Could a future GTi use a hybrid powertrain? “It could be a hybrid,” he agrees. “But we don’t want to fool anybody. People are such aficionados of hot hatches. You really need to have a product that is astonishing on the market, and the E-208 GTi will be.”

Could the GTi brand extend to an SUV, to provide a revenue boost? “No. It is puristic but GTi stands for hot hatch. It’s not a hot SUV. Maybe others do it but we’re not going to do that,” says the boss.

Peugeot plans to roll out seven new cars for Europe in the five-year window – will another GTi be one of those? “I would love to, but the answer as we sit here now, is no. We haven’t found a solution so far but we will keep trying.” 

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