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Modern day 205 GTi too difficult
The 208 GTi had to be more comfortable or Peugeot risked small sales and “a bad reputation”The new 208 GTi hot hatch could not have the same handling characteristics as its legendary 205 GTi predecessor because of the potential bad publicity such a car would create in the modern age of instant communications.
That is the view of Peugeot’s global director of marketing and communications Xavier Crespin, who also defended the company’s decision to closely link the two cars in promotional and media material despite their significant differences in driving feel.
tThe 208 GTi goes on sale in Australia in July priced from $29,990 and is presented very much as a comfortable every-day road car that can also be used for enthusiast driving.
Peugeot even proudly claims that it has dialled out of the 208 GTi the lift-off oversteer that was a 205 GTi character trait.
“In this time to be bringing let's say a very tricky or difficult to drive car will bring us certainly small sales levels and a lot of bad reputation,” Crespin told motoring.com.au. “Because we are living in a much more massive world where blogs and people are talking a lot more and you just have to bring something modern ... a bit compromised.
“But it's part of the brief that we had for this car, where we wanted to be mixing sport but also security, but also comfort, to be bringing a car which is usable for daily usage.
“There are many people who remember the risk of driving 205 GTi. The car was very sensitive, it was known as a – I don't want to say dangerous – demanding car. Some people would love that we went radical on 208 ... to bring it back. But it is just not reasonable, it is just not possible.”
Despite that strategy, a pristine 205 GTi was on show in the hotel driveway at the 208 GTi international launch last week and the video introduction at the presentation showed the two cars driving together. The tagline was “the GTi is back”.
“It's more the imagination that goes with it, that we wanted to bring back,” Crespin said.
“At the end of the day it is nothing to clearly compare, except that it is 2 series sporty version. But we had 130 horsepower on a 1.9 engine and now we're bringing 200 horsepower on a 1.6 engine. And the power-to-weight ratio is also very different... but it could not have been named different.”
Crespin played down any prospect of a less comfortable and more aggressive model sitting above the 208 GTi. Peugeot Sport’s development of the RCZ R, the most powerful production Peugeot ever, has given rise to speculation (and hopes!) that a GTi R is in the wings.
“Nothing is done. Pure imagination of some people who think RCZ R, so 208 R,” said Crespin.
However he did confirm Peugeot Sport is doing very small runs of “radical” limited editions, including the 208 GTi: “Very limited – 20, 30, 50 maximum. Cars almost handmade but with special set-ups, special fittings. And they are currently having some very limited GTi 208s for some first customers. And they are doing the same for some Citroen DS.
“And it’s one of the ideas we have that Peugeot Sport could be having many very limited editions of exclusive cars from series, from production, made very sporty.
“But … there is no department within Peugeot Sport considering the 10 scenarios for the 10 models in the Peugeot range.”
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Written byBruce Newton
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