The new Peugeot 208 GTI, which was shown in concept form at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show in February, has been officially revealed ahead of its premiere at the Paris Motor Show at the end of the month. As with the Peugeot 206 and 207 GTI models, the French car maker is aiming to rekindle the magic of its 1980s 205 GTi hot-hatch.

As previously reported, the three-door 208 GTi gets the 147 kW and 275 Nm, 1.6-litre, turbocharged petrol engine found in the RCZ coupe. These figures give the 208 GTI the edge over competitors such as the Audi A1 (136 kW and 250 Nm ), the Renault Clio RS (147 kW and 215 Nm) and the Volkswagen Polo GTI (132 kW and 250 Nm).

In addition to the generous amount of power on offer, the 208 GTI only weighs 1 160 kg. No performance figures have been released yet, but armed with this new detail, the previous expectations of a 0 – 100 km/h sprint time in the region of 7 seconds, are likely to be a little pessimistic. Peugeot hasn’t released top speed or fuel consumption figures yet, but the company has said the car emits 145 g/km of CO2, which by our math is roughly 6.25 L/100km.

Peugeot’s front-wheel drive pocket rocket uses a 6-speed manual transmission and the company has re-tuned the steering, as well as enhanced the front sub-frame and rear cross-member for improved torsional rigidity over that of the previous 207. The suspension has also been given a reworking and uses sport springs, shock absorbers and new anti-roll bars. The 208 GTi now rides on 17-inch wheels wrapped in 205/45 rubber, which hide 302 mm ventilated brake discs at the front and 249 mm items at the rear.

Visually, the three-door 208 GTi features new halogen headlamps, gloss black mesh grille with chrome inserts, matching rear skirting with trapezoidal chrome dual exhausts, silver mirror caps and, in a nod to the 205 GTi, a chrome window sill strip with the GTi logo on the C-Pillar. The new car will also be easily recognisable at night, thanks to a ‘cat’s-eye’ pattern created by the indicators and running lights.

“The 208 was an excellent base for developing a sports hatchback,” commented Marie Beaumont, 208 GTi Dynamics Manager. “We have worked with particular attention on the steering response, the chassis dynamics and the rigidity of the suspension. The 208 GTi successfully combines performance, safety and driving pleasure.”

The 208 GTi’s interior features a red and black colour scheme that includes: red-stitched, black leather and cloth combination upholstered sports seats; a flat-bottomed steering wheel; high-gloss red-painted door handles and dashboard inserts; aluminium pedals, footrest and gear lever; as well as a red backlit instrument cluster that features a brushed aluminium background with white needles and a black chequered flag motif.

The new 208 GTi will go on sale in Europe in the second quarter of 2013, by which time the standard 208 should’ve been on South African roads for a good few months.

Earlier this year at the Geneva Motor Show, Peugeot took the wraps off their 208 GTI Concept. From the get go it looked like a fairly well advanced ‘concept,’ which wasn’t far off being production readiness. Now, the cash strapped French manufacturer has intimated that the 208 GTI Concept will be given the green light and will arrive in dealer showrooms in 2013. A production version of the 208 GTI will be shown at the Paris motor show this September.

Powering the 208 GTI will be PSA’s widely available, 1.6-litre, 4-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine; of Citroën DS3 and Mini Cooper S fame of course. The 208 GTI is expected to make around 150 kW in its most powerful state of tune, something akin to its DS3 Racing brethren, while another more mild version should make an amiable 118 kW.  The former may indeed be called the 208 GTI Racing and is touted to reach 100 km/h from standstill in under seven seconds. The 208 GTI Racing is expected to use a 6-speed manual transmission and sit on lowered, wider suspension, with a larger grille, as well as bolder side skirts, some signature badging and twin exhaust outlets.

We particularly love Peugeot’s detailing on the 208 GTI Concept. The GTI Concept logo (pictured on the rear quarter panels), acts as a salute to its illustrious predecessor – the 205 GTI. The French ‘Le Tricolour’ flag up front will be replaced with the Union Jack on UK cars. (Will we get the rainbow-nation flag down here we wonder?!) The LED daytime running lights have a feline look, perfectly in keeping with Peugeot’s long standing emblem, and the LED backlighting that surrounds the instrumentation is also brilliant.

The sports seats are trimmed with Nappa leather on the outer section and an embossed tartan motif on the inside, lovely. The small steering wheel is also a perfect accentuation of a small, fast super-mini.  Lets hope they keep these details for the production version 208 GTI.

The Peugeot 208 GTi concept has been unveiled ahead of its 2012 Geneva motor show debut next month, confirming the French car maker is ready to take another shot at rekindling the magic of its 1980s 205 GTi hot-hatch.

The three-door 208 GTi gets the 147 kW 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engine found in the RCZ and, although Peugeot hasn’t given us any performance figures for the 208 GTi, we’d expect Peugeot’s new hot hatch to beat 7 seconds to 100 km/h. The 208 GTi is Peugeot’s attempt to recreate the glory days of the 205 GTi and take on rivals like sister PSA company Citroen’s DS3, which on first impressions looks promising.

The Peugeot 208 GTi concept, based on the three-door 208, features lowered bodywork, a grille featuring a chequered flag effect, a chrome dual exhaust pipe, larger, 18-inch alloy wheels and a rear spoiler. A GTi badge positioned on C-pillar is a nod to the 205 GTi of the 1980s.

Peugeot isn’t saying when the 208 GTi will go on sale, but with the regular 208 going on sale in the UK in the summer, we’d expect the new 208 GTi to hit showrooms in the UK by the end of 2012.