Damn, you’re thinking. If I could get my hands on that. Just think — Italian leather shoes, a sport coat, people wrenching their necks as you drive past, Papa Was a Rolling Stone oozing from the stereo…
Okay, this fantasy has gone too far. The vehicle you see above is Peugeot’s e-Legend Concept, a vehicle that wins the “glimpse of the future” contest hands down. This is the kind of all-electric, all-wheel drive, partially autonomous vehicle we like looking at.
Debuting at the Paris Motor Show, the e-Legend patterns itself after the classic 504 coupe, a slinky model that rolled off the Peugeot line from 1969 to 1983. Sexy? Is the Pope Catholic? To hammer home the vehicle’s allure, Peugeot filled its media folder with images of smouldering woman in, around, and nowhere near the e-Legend Concept. It’s like a Depeche Mode video from 1987. These ladies can’t get enough of the retro ride, and we don’t blame them.
Suffice it to say, Peugeot and its parent company, PSA Groupe, clearly noticed a distinct lack of passion and sex appeal in today’s brain-meltingly dull AV/EV concepts. Leave it to the French…
Adopting the tagline “#Unboring the Future,” Peugeot describes how the concept combines heritage and future into a palatable package that’ll never get built, at least not in its present form. Still, it did succeed in crafting, “A real object of desire that promotes the freedom of movement and offers the choice between a never-ending choice of pleasures.”
The steam rising from your phone or computer is perfectly normal. Is it getting warm in here?
Despite the retro sheet metal, there’s no shortage of concept car fantasy here. Two autonomous modes allow occupants to play a video game or relax while watching a Roger Vadim film on the 49-inch video screen spanning much of the dash. The steering wheel retracts beneath the dash to free up space. If hands-on motoring stirs your pot, the vehicle’s 100 kWh battery pack offers plenty of juice for ballsy romps down to the Mediterranean coastline. Zero to 62 mph flies by in less than 4 seconds.
Or it would, were this a real vehicle you could actually buy. The automaker claims a range of 373 miles on the generous WLTP cycle, while pure, raw power comes by way of an “engine” (interesting name for an electric motor, or motors) capable of generating 456 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque. This capability will surely make its way to some sort of production vehicle.
Because this vehicle just can’t leave sex in the rear-view, the interior sports plenty of velvet (“Chosen in the noblest of uses for its silky and pleasant touch”), woven with a technical mesh. Exotic wood with dark veins brings to mind fine French cars of the 1960s, Peugeot claimed, possibly while lying on a couch. If you’re not sure this is enough to pull off the right mood, rest assured that PSA commissioned two perfumes for the interior fragrance diffuser.
Still not feeling it? Don’t worry, the automaker also added loads of “digital trim” to fill gaps throughout the cabin, promising an “immersive and warm sensation” from the simulated woodgrain. It then stubbed out its cigarette and undid another button on its crisp, white shirt.
Yes, these concept car trappings won’t become a production reality anytime soon, and the thin pillars aren’t going to get a pass from any regulatory body, but kudos to Peugeot for building an electric vehicle with autonomous features the car-loving public can actually salivate over. We don’t soulless want pods or eggs.
[Images: PSA Group]
Peugeot is really big with androgynous Asian 20-somethings, that’s we’re the disposable income is now.
That’s we are the disposable income is?
So the Mustang and the Camaro got really drunk one night, and this is the result nine months later.
My thoughts exactly! This is the Camaro Chevy should build.
Maybe a ménage with a Dodge Challenger?
@Rick T., definitely a 3-way and one of the participant’s parents was an Avanti.
Looks a lot like that Shamal from earlier this week.
It looks like it deserves a manual and a big naturally aspirated engine.
It’s a Peugeot so it’ll have a 1.6 liter 4-cyl diesel and front wheel drive, and will definitely not be a coupé but a boring utilitarian A-to-B car. But they make these make-believe car pictures every once in a while just to keep their design department from killing themselves too soon.
THIS. Id be fine with it being a boosted large displacement 4 or inline 6 with rear wheel drive. But enough of this idiotic electric crap. No matter how sexy the body is, the feeble whoosh of an electric car is a total letdown. Needs the sountrack and character of an ICE. Electrics are fine for the cammaccord crowd and not much else.
Yeah, 0 to 60 in 4 seconds is highly over-rated.
“Yeah, 0 to 60 in 4 seconds is highly over-rated.”
It is if you aren’t doing any of the driving and theres no soul to the vehicle. Silent electric motors are a total bore. And since this is an autonomous car, YOU aren’t doing a thing to get those numbers. A bullet train or airliner is even faster, and youre just as involved in whats happening. YAWN.
Stay hard, bro.
Teslas sound exactly like golf carts. I really don’t care that much about accelerating fast. Anything as fast or faster than my Volvo 940 is entirely adequate. I would like to sound nice doing it. And the lack of engine noise just makes the road roar and wind noise more annoying.
I’d prefer a 2.0T and a six speed stick, a n/a V6 would be a nice optional engine. Which would kinda match the 4 and 6 options of the original. XN6 n/a 4 or PRV6.
Absolutely.
“Is the Pope Catholic?” Not the present one, NO!!! (probably a discussion for a different website)
Yeah, letsstarttrouble.com
Cool. Retro, Gattica type of modernistic style. Even a bit of ol-skool Camaro for the 2-door.
Only if the first sales are for the top trim. I can imagine seeing a cheapo version would turn a lot of “possible” consumers off.
*Gasp!* Is that VELOUR on the seats?!?!
Supermodel One! Backseat, NOW!
Ok, it looks nice. Given my current stage of life (2 kids about to hit their teens), this makes as much sense as an actually-existant Camaro. None.
So no, I don’t really want this – I’d be happy with being able to afford an E63 wagon..
Looks like the Nissan IDx concept that went nowhere
https://www.caranddriver.com/features/2018-nissan-idx-feature
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nissan_IDx
First thing that came to mind was “Datsun 510”.
It does have that vibe, although I’m sure its faithful to the original.
But can it make milkshakes from my Vitamix?
This is one the best exterior designs (not judging or considering concept interior – which like most, is awful) of the last 20, or maybe even 30 years.
It’s an absolute 10+++.
It was designed in the mid to late ’60s.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peugeot_504#/media/File:Peugeot_504_Coup%C3%A9_second_series_rear_three_quarters.JPG
Actually it reminds me a lot of the LANCIA FULVIA coupe. Me likey. Not in electric, but a nice ICE could make this a lust-mobile.
Why do concepts seem 90% attainable, yet lead to such mediocre products?
Gorgeous! And you would actually be able to see out of it – what a novel idea.
European manufacturers like to do this every now and then. Tease us.
They’ll put out a stunning coupe concept that they have no intention whatsoever of building, but babble on about “design language” and “tech preview of future models”, meaning that the most that comes out of the gorgeous concept is that their next boring dull CUV has slighty similar headlights and a touchscreen in car entertainment system that has a similar font to the concept dashboard.
Having said that though, the 508 fastback is a stunning looking sedan-hatch, and Peugeot do have form for building gorgeous sedan-to-coupe conversions (406 was a poor man’s Ferrari, and even the 407 has aged well with the F355 style grille)
Some of you may be old enough to have actually sat in a Pug. The French certainly do know how to make comfortable car seats, really comfortable car seats. At the Chicago Auto Show around 3 PM we’d wander over to the Peugeot exhibit and sit in a sedan to take a break. Never be anyone around so we could rest for as long as we wanted. Ahhh. We’ve missed them for years now.
Some of us are old enough to have owned and loved a half-dozen of them. My ’79 504D is far and away the one I miss the most of all the cars I ever had. I console myself with the fact that it lives a genteel retirement in a heated barn full of other Peugeots owned by a collector in Indiana.
This concept is stunning. An original is high on my list of someday cars. Would make a nice 50th birthday present if I don’t end up ordering a Cayman.
yeah.. it looks quite “Mustang-ish” .. Ford could take that as an example .. with next Mustang generation .. :)
It also reminds me of Nissan IDx concept cars ..
These shapes/proportions are very atractive for a car-guys..
…
This concept doesn’t remind any actual or past Peugeot cars ..
French automakers are well known for building fantastic concept cars… but they never hit production..
I see echoes of Avanti in this.