Peugeot EX1 concept

On the eve of the of the Paris Motor Show, Peugeot held a private viewing of the EX1 Concept Car at its premier showroom on the Champs Elysees in Paris. The EX1 represents one of Peugeot’s celebrations of 200 years of business, along with the company’s new corporate mantra, “Motion and Emotion”. The EX1 concept proves that an electric powered car does not need to be only a neighbourhood local commuter car, but also an exciting, efficient, and high speed mode of transport.

Its name stands for: E = Electric, X = across four wheels, and 1 = the No. 1 vehicle of its type. The front of the car is charged with smoothing the airflow over its tapered rear half, which reflects the more mechanical attributes of the EX1. In truth, Peugeot introduced similar conceptual architectural layouts in their Asphalt concept from 1996 and the 2006 20Cup Concept.

All of these concepts feature a very narrow rear track, primarily for improved aerodynamics, handling and efficient, minimal packaging. The most significant evolution of this third generation of narrow rear track concepts from Peugeot are is its pair of electric motors, each providing power to either the front or rear wheels.

“The new Peugeot DNA is Motion and Emotion. This is all about efficiency,” explained Gilles Vidal, Peugeot Director of Design. “In the design department at Peugeot, we are pushing towards the reality that ‘electric’ is all about an emotional experience of getting out of the city, and having an exciting time driving”.

The inside tack is that its DRG is a strong hint towards the upcoming 208 supermini’s face. Aside from this, the concept seems to sit slightly ill at ease with Peugeot’s move away from what it describes as a ‘hyper-sporty’ aesthetic. While, after 14 years of similar concepts, there still seems little chance that the company will every commit one to production.