Peugeot Going "All In" on Futuristic Designs, Unlike Rivals Such As Renault

They might not be very well known in the States, but Peugeot is one of the oldest carmakers in the world. It was 1858 when Emile Peugeot applied for the lion trademark, so the heritage is certainly there.

Throughout the years, Peugeot models have racked up countless accolades, and they’ve been reasonably successful with motorsport too. One thing I’ve always admired about them was their bold yet understated designs, especially in the 80s and 90s.

In an interview with Autocar, Hossnann stated that his employer will not go in the same direction as Renault did with the retro-styled 4 crossover, the 5 or the Twingo EV, when it comes to design. This also means that we’ll probably never see a production variant of the E-Legend concept from 2018, which was designed to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 504 sedan.

Meanwhile, today’s Peugeot models are also pretty modern in terms of styling, although there’s certainly room for improvement.

“I think sometimes it’s good to do retro design when you have to relaunch a brand, because it creates a kind of highlight for the brand at some point. I think that is not really the case, for the moment, at Peugeot,” he explained.

“What we are showing today, for example, with the Inception, is that Peugeot is one of the oldest car brands in the world, but at the same time, we are really future- and forward-looking. When we design a Peugeot as a team, we say ‘let’s invent the future’, but at the same time, we have some solid foundations. We have a fantastic history.”

Photo: Peugeot

Speaking of the Inception concept, that’s one seriously cool-looking automobile, and we certainly wouldn’t mind seeing it strap on a pair of production-ready mirrors and wheels, and take to the roads, both in Europe and the United States.

Hossnann went on to say that when it comes to designs that are exclusively nostalgic, they can have negative effects on a brand, and that a balance should be the target, between “playing with history but always looking into the future.”

“We have tried, for some years, to make a Peugeot be recognizable from 200 meters away,” he added, while pointing to the brand’s current cars and their “feline attitude”. Of course, everybody can see it with the likes of the 208, 308, 408, and even the crossovers. They look ready to pounce.

Some of us though still appreciate that understated dynamic styling from way back in the day, and thankfully heritage elements can still find their way into future models. Is this a better long-term strategy than going almost all-in on retro designs? Probably. But time will tell. The fact of the matter is that everyone loves what Renault is doing too.