The Peugeot Inception study taking on board certain stylistic genes of the iconic e-Legend, one can legitimately wonder if the Lion is considering its production in series.
In the space of three years, at the end of the 2010s, multiple rather inspired stylistic currents telescoped within the Peugeot universe. First there was the visual shock of the 3008, in 2016, which laid the foundations for a long line of SUVs and sedans with a strong temperament. The following year, the Instinct concept car launched the fashion for vertical luminous claws, the first application of which in series is still embodied today by the 508. Finally, in 2018, we witnessed the apotheosis of this stylistic leap, during the Mondial de Paris, where the e-Legend study was exhibited. Despite its neo-retro bias, out of step with the production models of the time, the coupe paying homage to the 504 won all the votes, to the point that a petition signed by the general public was born in order to request production.
The new face of Leo
If Jean-Philippe Imparato, then at the controls of the Lion, let the doubt hang for a few weeks after the Paris show, the euphoria quickly gave way to disappointment, the management of Peugeot judging the industrialization of such a coupe unprofitable. It had to be recognized that customers had been shunning this kind of segment for a long time, under the SUV dictatorship. For almost five years, we thought the project was definitively buried, until Peugeot lifted the veil on the Inception concept car, at the start of 2023, on the occasion of CES in Las Vegas. Reconnecting with neo-retro genes, halfway between 504 and 505, it proves to us that Peugeot, and more particularly Matthias Hossann, father of the two projects, is determined to apply the e-Legend recipe for its future range. . It would have been a shame to do without it, as the visitors to the 2018 Parisian salon dubbed the iconic coupé.
Getting sedans back afloat, first
From there to imagining Peugeot re-studying the industrialization of e-Legend, there is only one step. But before that, he will first have to consider offering descendants to the 508, which is not won. Disappointed by its sales figures, the Sochaux firm could purely and simply consider its final retirement in a few years. But electrification is about to change the game, Tesla having proven through its Model S and Model 3 that a market exists for sedans, which are much more aerodynamic than SUVs. This is the reason why an e-608, or even an e-708, has a good chance of seeing the light of day before 2030. However, we can doubt its extrapolation in the form of a coupé which would materialize the e-Legend project. , as the general public has almost definitively turned away from this silhouette. To date, only premium manufacturers can still afford to invest in a niche type. It would take a real electroshock of the market for it to democratize the genre again. The automotive industry has other fish to fry, for the moment, in particular by trying to reintroduce sedans through slightly raised models, like the 408. Therefore, we would have to be satisfied with the revival of ‘e-Legend in the form of a “simple” neo-retro sedan. This would already be a big step towards the “detox” of SUVs. Who would complain?
Also read on Auto-Moto.com:
Restyled Peugeot Expert (2024): new blood in anticipation for the Lion utility
Electric cars 2023: models, prices, range, charging, battery
Peugeot Inception Riviera: in a station wagon, what would it look like?
The Peugeot Inception study taking on board certain stylistic genes of the iconic e-Legend, one can legitimately wonder if the Lion is considering its production in series.
In the space of three years, at the end of the 2010s, multiple rather inspired stylistic currents telescoped within the Peugeot universe. First there was the visual shock of the 3008, in 2016, which laid the foundations for a long line of SUVs and sedans with a strong temperament. The following year, the Instinct concept car launched the fashion for vertical luminous claws, the first application of which in series is still embodied today by the 508. Finally, in 2018, we witnessed the apotheosis of this stylistic leap, during the Mondial de Paris, where the e-Legend study was exhibited. Despite its neo-retro bias, out of step with the production models of the time, the coupe paying homage to the 504 won all the votes, to the point that a petition signed by the general public was born in order to request production.
The new face of Leo
If Jean-Philippe Imparato, then at the controls of the Lion, let the doubt hang for a few weeks after the Paris show, the euphoria quickly gave way to disappointment, the management of Peugeot judging the industrialization of such a coupe unprofitable. It had to be recognized that customers had been shunning this kind of segment for a long time, under the SUV dictatorship. For almost five years, we thought the project was definitively buried, until Peugeot lifted the veil on the Inception concept car, at the start of 2023, on the occasion of CES in Las Vegas. Reconnecting with neo-retro genes, halfway between 504 and 505, it proves to us that Peugeot, and more particularly Matthias Hossann, father of the two projects, is determined to apply the e-Legend recipe for its future range. . It would have been a shame to do without it, as the visitors to the 2018 Parisian salon dubbed the iconic coupé.
Getting sedans back afloat, first
From there to imagining Peugeot re-studying the industrialization of e-Legend, there is only one step. But before that, he will first have to consider offering descendants to the 508, which is not won. Disappointed by its sales figures, the Sochaux firm could purely and simply consider its final retirement in a few years. But electrification is about to change the game, Tesla having proven through its Model S and Model 3 that a market exists for sedans, which are much more aerodynamic than SUVs. This is the reason why an e-608, or even an e-708, has a good chance of seeing the light of day before 2030. However, we can doubt its extrapolation in the form of a coupé which would materialize the e-Legend project. , as the general public has almost definitively turned away from this silhouette. To date, only premium manufacturers can still afford to invest in a niche type. It would take a real electroshock of the market for it to democratize the genre again. The automotive industry has other fish to fry, for the moment, in particular by trying to reintroduce sedans through slightly raised models, like the 408. Therefore, we would have to be satisfied with the revival of ‘e-Legend in the form of a “simple” neo-retro sedan. This would already be a big step towards the “detox” of SUVs. Who would complain?
Also read on Auto-Moto.com:
Restyled Peugeot Expert (2024): new blood in anticipation for the Lion utility
Electric cars 2023: models, prices, range, charging, battery
Peugeot Inception Riviera: in a station wagon, what would it look like?
