Is the military-inspired design of the new Peugeot 9X8 welcomed?

Peugeot presented an evolution, equipped with a rear wing, of its 24 Hours of Le Mans prototype. But its military-inspired grille is causing a stir.

Peugeot returns to racing, aiming for the top of the podium. The decision was made to refresh the design of its 9X8 prototype with a very military theme.

In the current geopolitical context, including the war in Ukraine, this is quite surprising. The design was conceived entirely in-house by Peugeot Sport. As a reminder, the 2023 livery was created by the artist Demsky. For 2024, Peugeot wanted to “imagine a design based on a motif depicting the ‘lion’s head’ at different scales,” explains Matthias HOSSANN, Peugeot Design Director. “This graphic, symbolizing a ‘pack of lions,’ embodies the spirit of teamwork that perfectly represents endurance values. We wanted to highlight this team spirit and showcase the team’s diverse talents. The design is scaled and colored according to Peugeot Sport’s palette, featuring black, gray, white, and Kryptonite. This theme is also extended to a lifestyle product line developed by the Peugeot graphic design team.“

Search for the lion’s head

This lion’s head isn’t too conspicuous, unlike the new rear wing which makes its appearance. The aerodynamic concept without an appendage has evolved, and the pursuit of performance forced the engineers to revise their design.

But rather than hiding or camouflaging this part, as the decoration might suggest, the wing is brightly yellow with a fluorescent yellow hue.

Beyond this bold element, let’s agree that Peugeot’s stylistic daring is refreshing in a world of motorsport where, usually, liveries are very conventional. Peugeot dares, Peugeot makes a statement, and that’s exactly the purpose of motorsport: to be a communication vector different from others.

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