Peugeot to introduce electric 308 but not GTi replacement

Peugeot appears unlikely to introduce a GTi or Peugeot Sport Engineered version of the next-generation Peugeot 308 hatch following comments from one of its senior execs.

According to Peugeot product boss Jerome Micheron, a pair of plug-in hybrids, mild hybrids and even a full pure-electric version of the latest Peugeot 308 are all coming as part of the French brand's push upmarket.

But there's no sign of a new rival for the Volkswagen Golf GTI in its plans.

"We want to give the customer the power of choice because the market is evolving so fast, but we want to have the right answers," he told British magazine Autocar.

"We're launching the new 308 with petrol and diesel, we've already decided a roadmap in which we will launch MHEV (mild hybrid electric vehicles) and we also have a plan for an EV offer on the 308."

But when asked about the rumoured 225kW Peugeot Sport Engineered (PSE) version to replace the former Peugeot 308 GTi, Micheron was less confident a replacement was on the way, blaming a slump in hot hatch sales and their impact on average fleet emissions.

"It's still under assessment, but the market has been shrinking very significantly," he said.

"We're considering some options for PSE products, but today we don't see that much volume for a very powerful engine, and when you look at CO2 regulations and limitations, we're not sure that's the right foundation for the performance vehicle.

"There's also the question of a hybrid and the weight of the vehicle, so we're not that confident today about bringing a 308 PSE to market."

Originally, it was reported the new Peugeot 308 PSE was set for an all-wheel drive plug-in hybrid powertrain used by the latest Peugeot 3008.

But those plans have almost certainly now been scrapped in light of Micheron's comments.

Despite near enough ruling out a 308 GTI follow-up, Micheron did reveal another second PSE-badged vehicle was under consideration.

"Neo-performance brings new performance with a very low level of CO2 emissions and also the right level of pleasure for driving," he said. "So this is part of our strategy, and we're assessing another product in PSE.

"We're not keen to discuss future products, but we will bring to the market one product which fits with the CO2, driving pleasure and performance."

It's thought the car Micheron is referring to could be either the pure-electric 208 GTI-replacement or a new PSE version that's based on either the 2008 or 3008 SUVs.

The pure-electric 308, meanwhile, is set to adopt the same EV powertrain used on the EMP2-based Peugeot Traveller van that combines a 100kW electric motor with a modest 50kWh lithium-ion battery for a 250km range.

Later on, Micheron suggested that the French car-maker will introduce a new eVMP architecture that's been created for SUVs and supports more powerful pure-electric models.