Things are about to get rather heated in the compact end of the hot hatch wrestling pit.
Ford's new Fiesta ST is set to hit our shores later this month, but it'll have to stack up against two new rivals from France.
While we're likely to have to wait until later in the year to see the new Renault Clio RS , Peugeot will be unleashing its 208 GTI in South Africa in early July.
A representative at Peugeot South Africa has now told us that the GTI will cost R259 000 when it goes on sale as part of a pair of three-door models to top and tail the 208 range. To that end, Peugeot will also launch a new three-door 208 with a 1-litre engine, but let's start with the exciting stuff first.
LITTLE DYNAMITE STICK
Despite boasting a similar 1.6-litre turbopetrol engine configuration, the Peugeot 208 GTI will out-power its rival from Ford with its outputs of 147kW at 5800rpm and 275Nm at 1700rpm. This should get it from 0-100km/h in just 6.8 seconds and on to a top speed of 230km/h.
Power is to the front wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox and agility is ensured by a modified chassis. The GTI is perched on 17-inch Diamond Carbon alloy wheels and the track has been widened by 10mm at the front and 20mm at the rear. Engineers also revised the steering settings to increase firmness.
Inside you'll find sports seats clad in a combination of Club Nappa leather and Caro Weave cloth and among numerous other interior garnishes, the dashboard has red overstitching has a red inlay that 'graduates' to black to match the door crossbars.
NEW ENTRY MODEL
If you can already hear your loan consultant laughing, you might end up considering the other new 208 three-door, albeit with almost a third of the power output.
This new entry-level model will sell for R145 000.
Final specifications have yet to be announced, but Peugeot says it will be fitted with a 1-litre three-cylinder engine.
Set to compete with the similarly-equipped Toyota Yaris, the Peugeot engine musters a mere 50kW at 6000rpm and 95Nm at 3000. At the coast it is said to take 14.0 seconds to get to 100km/h and the top speed is listed at 163km/h.
There is some consolation in the claimed combined fuel consumption figure of 4.3 litres per 100km, equating to a CO2 emissions figure of 99g/km.