2015 Peugeot 308 ‘GTi’ to premiere this month

Full details remain under wraps for now. Instead, the news was broken by the Festival itself, which last night announced the new 308 derivative would headline a line-up of hot Peugeots.

“Peugeot will be sporting a large dose of French flair at the Festival of Speed, with the world premier of a 308 ‘performance model’ (insert your calculated guess, ed), which will be on static display and taking to the hillclimb over the weekend” it said.

The new performance model will headline the Peugeot contingent alongside the ridiculously great 373kW/730Nm 308 R HYbrid (pictured below), which made its world debut in April at the Shanghai motor show.

PSA itself hasn’t officially confirmed the veracity of the Goodwood statement, though Peugeot Sport director Bruno Famin last year told us such a plan was in the pipeline.

The company’s Australia PR and communications manager Tyson Bowen said today that the brand’s local arm would love to have it were it to materialise.

The production ‘GTi’ will take its cues from the 308 R Concept (pictured at top) revealed way back in August 2013. That concept sported the RCZ R’s 199kW/330Nm 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbo matched to a six-speed manual gearbox sending power to the front wheels via a mechanical limited slip diff.

With power figures in that range, the road-going 308 GTi would be ripe to take aim at the Ford Focus ST (184kW) and easily outgun the Volkswagen Golf GTI (162-169kW, the latter with the Performance Pack), while using a smaller capacity engine than both of those cars.

The 308 is currently headlined by the 308 GT (pictured immediately above), available either with a 151kW/285Nm 1.6-litre turbo-petrol/six-speed manual drivetrain, or a 133kW/400Nm 2.0-litre turbo-diesel/six-speed auto option.

Given those cars retail for $41,990 and $42,990 (plus on-road costs) respectively, on account of vast standard equipment lists, Peugeot appears to be facing a pricing conundrum for the GTi.

You’d suspect it could either trade the power bump for some luxuries and keep the price competitive (below $45K), or go all-out and push $50K. Details are yet to be confirmed.