Peugeot Revives the T16 Name With an 805bhp Electric Hyper-Hatch

Peugeot has dusted off one of its most celebrated rally names with the e-T16, a concept that pairs the T16 badge with 805bhp of electric power. The car takes its inspiration from the Group B 205 T16, the homologation special that carried Peugeot to two World Rally Championship wins in the 1980s. Peugeot claims a 0-186mph time of 16 seconds, and the concept wears bodywork far more extreme than anything you would find on a showroom hatchback.

The e-T16 is also a preview. Its wraparound light bars reinterpret the lion claw motif that Peugeot plans to use on future models, and its overall shape hints at the next e-208 supermini. That car will be revealed in final form early in 2027 and go on sale in the second half of the year, and it will be the first Peugeot to adopt the brand's Feline Future design language. Design director Matthias Hossann called the e-T16 a "more than realistic" glimpse of the production model, which will be around 4.1 metres long and keep a silhouette that is largely unchanged from the concept.

Underneath, the e-T16 is understood to use a heavily upgraded version of the STLA One platform that underpins the e-208. Peugeot has not said what powertrain it uses, and while the 805bhp output matches a Formula E single-seater, it is unclear whether the concept shares any hardware with that series. Engineers from PSE, the team that runs Peugeot's World Endurance Championship programme and helped develop the e-208 GTi, are building a fully drivable prototype. If enough buyers come forward, Peugeot would consider homologating the car for the road, and Hossann said a road-going version would need to work on public roads, not just on a racetrack.

Hossann was also clear that the concept does not signal a retro turn for the brand. Elements of the 205 appear in the design, but the company is not chasing nostalgia. Peugeot's B-segment cars have always looked different from one generation to the next while keeping a shared visual thread, and the designer said the e-208 will continue that tradition.

The e-T16 also sets up an obvious rivalry with Renault's rear-wheel-drive 5 Turbo 3E, which produces 533bhp. Hossann argued that the two share a philosophy but not a performance target. The bigger point, Hossann said, is that the hot hatch is coming back.