Contrary to several of the competitors, Peugeot refuses to revive old models and their names in order to jump on a retro wave.
Peugeot will not follow its competitors' trend towards retro cars. Instead, the brand's head of design, Matthias Hossann, believes that future models must "invent the future" rather than look back at the past.
Hossann emphasizes that Peugeot sees no reason to revive past designs to create nostalgia, even though the brand has a rich history.
In 2018, Peugeot presented one of their most striking concepts, the E-Legend, which was inspired by the iconic 504 model.
Although the concept was positively received, it has not influenced the design of their series-produced cars. According to Hossann, there is no need for retro cars in Peugeot's current strategy.
– I think it can sometimes be a good idea to create a retro design when you have to relaunch a brand, because in a way it creates attention. But I don't think that's the case right now for Peugeot, he says to Autocar .
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Instead, Peugeot points forward with their Inception Concept from 2023, which shows the direction future Peugeot cars will take.
The Inception Concept is a futuristic four-door sedan built on Stellantis' STLA Large EV platform. The car incorporates design elements from previous Peugeot models, such as a large windscreen that extends further forward than on normal sedans and the characteristic "cat's claws" in the headlights, which are also seen on today's models.
Although Peugeot wants to invent the future, Hossann does not hide that the brand's history still has a role to play.
– When we design a Peugeot as a team, we say 'let's really invent the future', but at the same time we have a solid foundation.
– We have a fantastic history. So I'm not saying we'll never look back at our history – E-Legend is a perfect example – but how can we spin it so that it's ultimately truly futuristic? That is the biggest challenge, he explains.
Even if Peugeot does not plan to make pure retro cars, their future designs can still draw on historical references. However, the focus is on uniting past and future in a way that creates modern and innovative cars.
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