Tuesday 10th November 2009

Peugeot: GTi is RIP

207 GTi will be the last Pug to wear the hallowed badge

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207 GTi: the final Peugeot to bear the name...

Peugeot is set to kill off the legendary GTi badge. Peugeot, the maker of some of the greatest hot hatches ever, is unlikely to build a successor to the 207 GTi, which is the only car in the Peugeot range that currently carries the famous letters on its rump.

Even then, the 207 is only badged GTi in the UK - continental hot 207s get an 'RC' moniker.

According to Autocar, even if the 207's replacement (which isn't due for a couple of years) does spawn a hot version, it won't be badged as a GTi.

Peugeot marketing director Christian Stein told Autocar: "For us, the GTi concept is dead. The GTi means a lot to English people but it is time to move on."

...but better to remember it this way

Instead, Peugeot will focus its performance efforts on more cars in the vein of the forthcoming 308 RCZ. "We will move away from hot hatches towards premium sports coupes," said Stein.

The 207 GTi will continue until it dies a natural death, but it's hardly a critically acclaimed car - for Peugeot hot hatch fans, the prospect of no possible reprise of the 205, 106 or 306 GTis will be much more of a tragedy.

[David87]

It's a shame the badge will be lost, but I think for a lot of people it went a long time ago anyway...