NEW PEUGEOT 9X8 HYPERCAR – DESIGNED TO RACE
PEUGEOT unveils the prototype of the Hypercar 9X8, its next-generation racing car, which will begin in 2022 in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC). The PEUGEOT 9X8 is a highly efficient, hybrid-powered vehicle with a full transmission system and is part of the Neo-Performance strategy developed by PEUGEOT, which aims to deliver a more virtuous and responsible performance on both production and competitive vehicles. A new convergence of the work of the PEUGEOT Sport engineering team and the PEUGEOT Design team was implemented to give birth to 9X8.
It is after intense months of working together that the development engineers under the responsibility of Olivier Jansonnie, technical director of PEUGEOT Sport, and the designers led by Matthias Hossann, director of PEUGEOT Design, reveal the main lines and the aerodynamic concept of this PEUGEOT 9X8.
It is after intense months of working together that the development engineers under the responsibility of Olivier Jansonnie, technical director of PEUGEOT Sport, and the designers led by Matthias Hossann, director of PEUGEOT Design, reveal the main lines and the aerodynamic concept of this PEUGEOT 9X8.
The PEUGEOT 9X8 will follow in the footsteps of the brand’s famous endurance models, the PEUGEOT 905 and PEUGEOT 908, winners of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1992 and 1993, and in 2009 respectively.
With the 9X8, Peugeot is rolling out a genuine brand project based on the concept of Neo-Performance, combining the ultimate in sports performance, technological know-how that can be transferred to production models, efficiency and design excellence.
With the 9X8, Peugeot is rolling out a genuine brand project based on the concept of Neo-Performance, combining the ultimate in sports performance, technological know-how that can be transferred to production models, efficiency and design excellence.
The new Le Mans Hypercar (LMH) regulations, implemented by the FIA and the ACO to replace the top-level LMP1 category, have been influential in the brand adopting this approach. Offering greater flexibility in the treatment of aerodynamic surfaces, the regulations encouraged a radically different way of thinking and the design of innovative cars, more open to the input of the design teams. Engineers and designers alike have grabbed this opportunity to invent new creation processes, break the mould and create a PEUGEOT Hypercar that is set to establish a totally new genre.
On the outside, the wheel rims are the result of finely-crafted metalwork and nestle perfectly within clean, sleekly-designed side panels. The wings are perforated, revealing the top of the tyres. The wing mirrors are seamlessly integrated into the bodywork, to such an extent that no obstacle seems to interrupt the air flow.
“As always at PEUGEOT, the sketch that formed the basis for our work featured a cat ready to pounce,” explained Matthias Hossann, Head of PEUGEOT Design. “This attitude has led to a cockpit that slightly inclined to the front. Generally speaking, the PEUGEOT 9X8 features the same design cues that can be seen on all brand models: it’s a sophisticated, sleek and elegant car that conveys a sense of emotion and dynamism”.
“In the past, this area of the car has tended to be fairly anonymous: just a functional and generic interior, with no real expression of the brand. By adding our colours and our i-Cockpit, PEUGEOT’s interior brand signature, we have freshened up this space”.
As regards its name, the first 9 represents the Brand’s extreme racing cars, such as PEUGEOT’s Endurance models, the 905 (1990-1993) and the 908 (2007-2011), two of the manufacturer’s iconic machines.
The X evokes the all-wheel drive (four-wheel drive) and hybrid power technologies that feature on the new PEUGEOT Hypercar, which sees the Brand’s electrification strategy extended further in a racing setting.
As regards the 8, this is the figure that is ever-present on all contemporary PEUGEOT models: the 208 and 2008, 308, 3008, 5008 and of course the 508, which has recently passed through the hands of the same team of engineers and designers as the Hypercar, to become the first model to bear the PEUGEOT SPORT ENGINEERED label.
The X evokes the all-wheel drive (four-wheel drive) and hybrid power technologies that feature on the new PEUGEOT Hypercar, which sees the Brand’s electrification strategy extended further in a racing setting.
As regards the 8, this is the figure that is ever-present on all contemporary PEUGEOT models: the 208 and 2008, 308, 3008, 5008 and of course the 508, which has recently passed through the hands of the same team of engineers and designers as the Hypercar, to become the first model to bear the PEUGEOT SPORT ENGINEERED label.
