Peugeot cool on coupé
e-legend future uncertain
Aproduction decision on the Peugeot e-legend concept will be made in 2020 after the mainstream range has been electrified, according to CEO Jean-philippe Imparato.
Speaking at the Paris motor show, where the e-legend was making its debut, Imparato said: “We won’t take the decision until the electrification process is complete in 2020. Then we will decide if we want to make it.”
Imparato also took to his Twitter account to share an online petition pleading Peugeot to put the e-legend on sale. He claimed: “If we get to 500,000 [signatures] we might really have to consider it”.
The e-legend is an electric sporting coupé with advanced level four autonomous driving features, but it has taken a great deal of styling inspiration from Peugeot’s past, including the 504 coupé. The design is aimed at being emotive and fun, which, Imparato claims, is crucial if motoring is going to have a “non-boring future”.
He said: “This is not like one of those autonomous boxes that are designed to take you from A to B on a motorway that we see from some brands. They are totally boring. We are trying to ‘un-boring’ the future by making autonomous fun and giving you the choice to drive.”
Alongside revealing the brand’s bold electric future, Peugeot is also the latest manufacturer to confirm that it is halting development of diesel engines until the market stabilises and it may remove them altogether if demand continues to fall.
Peugeot’s product director, Laurent Blanchet, told Autocar at the Paris motor show that the future of diesel is “uncertain” and that “we will have to see if the market is going to delete or give up on diesel”.
The market share of dieselengined cars in European new car sales has fallen from around 50% at the start of 2017 to approximately 35%. Fallout from the Volkswagen Group Dieselgate emissions scandal and changes in government policy are cited as reasons.
In a separate interview, Imparato admitted that he’s regretful of Peugeot’s decision to aggressively pursue diesel powertrains.
He said: “In my view, we made a mistake with diesel. We should have switched priorities sooner. Buyers are moving away from diesels and we may need to do the same. However, if Paris decides to ban diesels we will be ready.”