What's the secret Peugeot GTi recipe then?
Well, according to Peugeot's research, car enthusiasts think the three most important things are acceleration (61 per cent of people polled picked that), agile handling (52 per cent) and steering feel (39 per cent).
Those elements ranked higher than engine sound (36 per cent of people chose that), power-to-weight ratio (30 per cent) and braking performance and feel (26 per cent).
OK, but how much does the general public really know about GTis?
A surprising amount, it seems. Peugeot's research shows that the whole GTi thing really cuts through, even reaching people who don't consider themselves car nuts.
Of that group, 42 per cent said they're familiar with the Peugeot GTi badge, which, in fairness, has been around for 40 years now - that's a lot of built-up heritage.
When you ask people what GTi means, 70 per cent of them say that it's a performance version of a standard car while 50 per cent say it's about sporty styling, and the same percentage says it's all about having a more powerful engine.
What about when it comes to actually putting money down?
According to Peugeot's reckoning, 79 per cent of all the respondents to the survey said that performance was the biggest factor they'd consider before cutting a cheque. Just as well that the new E-208 GTi can hit 100km/h from rest in 5.5 seconds, then…
What else do people consider when buying?
Interestingly, the brand's reputation ranked very high (91 per cent), as did the car's styling (87 per cent) and how fun it is to drive (76 per cent). Perhaps most significantly, the heritage of the brand and the car was important - 74 per cent of potential buyers said so.
Of those polled, 14 per cent said that their favourite era of cars was the 1980s - back when the original Peugeot 205 GTi was king - while 12 per cent said the 2020s. If you are interested, you can have a read of our review of the Peugeot 205 GTi Tolman Edition.
Was the 205 GTi their favourite too?
Yes, unsurprisingly, car enthusiasts picked the 205 GTi as their favourite hot Peugeot model, with 20 per cent going for that, and another 12 per cent of well-informed people picking the 208 GTi by Peugeot Sport - that was the version featuring a tweaked engine and chassis, with 205hp compared to the 197hp of the standard 208 GTi.
Those are the classics. What about the prospects for the new E-208 GTi?
It looks good. Of the car enthusiasts asked, 54 per cent said they had either previously owned a Peugeot GTi or would like to own one in the future.
Gen-X, born between 1965 and 1980, are the most likely group to own one right now, while a 54 per cent majority of Gen-Z - born from 1996 onwards - said that they'd fancy one in the future.
Driving pleasure (53 per cent), speed/performance (45 per cent) and styling (37 per cent) are the top three factors which attract car enthusiasts to hot hatchbacks like Peugeot's GTi models.
What about the motorsport factor?
Apparently, it's still important. Peugeot burnished the original 205 GTi's image with rally wins in the mighty 205 T16, as well as the incredible Pikes Peak run in the fabulous 405 T16 GR.
Peugeot's research also revealed that almost three-quarters (73 per cent) of car enthusiasts are interested in motorsport, and 57 per cent are more attracted to performance cars that are influenced by racing. Just as well Peugeot has an all-new endurance racer ready to take on the 24 Hours of Le Mans next year, eh?
Not to mention that the production-ready E-208 GTi was actually revealed to the public at this year's Le Mans.
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