Paul Tan's Automotive News » 2007 Peugeot Design Contest

2007 Peugeot Design Contest: Peugeot Mistral

Paul Tan — Sun, 24 Dec 2006 09:16:47 +0000

This is 23 year old Frenchman Xavier Sandrin’s entry to the 2007 Peugeot Design Contest and he calls it the Peugeot Mistral. Conceived as a sportscar, the Peugeot Mistral, obviously designed as an open wheel roadster promises the driver pure pleasure of control. Instead of all the previous concept car entries so far which use futuristic powerplants of one sort or another, Sandrin has decided to conceptually equip his Peugeot Mistral with a hybrid powertrain system.

His concept car is powered by a 2.0 litre HDI turbodiesel mounted at a front mid-ship position as well as a 30 kilowatt electric motor in each rear wheel – and what happens when you combined an electric motor’s high torque with the torque of a turbodiesel? Ridiculous acceleration for sure. More photos after the jump.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Tue, 14 Feb 12 19:19:06 +0000.

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2007 Peugeot Design Contest: Peugeot honey-B

Paul Tan — Sun, 24 Dec 2006 09:04:36 +0000

This strange cute yellow thing is the Peugeot honey-B concept, and like it’s namesake looks pretty much like a big honey bee on wheels. It was developed to combined the feeling of being in a large SUV-like car but with the efficiency of an aerodynamic design, something tall and bulky SUVs are hardly capable of achieving.

Like all futuristic concepts, the Peugeot honey-B concept is powered by hydrogen fuel cells and in-wheel motors. The honey-B is also disabled-friendly, with seats equipped with hydraulic arms that can deploy to various pre-set positions outside the car, and retract back in again automatically after you’ve sat in it.

Designer’s description and more photos after the jump.

PEUGEOT honey-B

QUICK FEATURE OVERVIEW

* SLIM BODY DESIGN WITH JET FIGHTER LIKE PASSANGER DISPOSITION
* FULL PANORAMIC VIEWS
* RETRACTABLE SEATING
* 4 IN-WHEEL ENGINES AND HYDROGEN FUEL CELLS
* FOUR WHEEL DRIVE AND STEERING
* COMPUTER ASSISTED DRIVING – THE TOUCH PAD REPLACES THE STEERING WHEEL
* LED HEADLIGHTS

INTRO

The concept started around the idea of somehow mixing together the efficiency of a aerodynamic car and the feeling of well being of a large car. Working with preliminary sketches,emerged the idea of placing the passengers in a line, much like the pilots in a jet fighter would sit. I was also encouraged to explore alternative design solutions looking at some of the concept cars Peugeot produced during the years. I particularly liked the Peugeot Hoggar and Peugeot Quark, the latter also for it’s propulsion system. The name is a play of words: honey bee becomes honey-B, and refers to the car’s appearance and colors, trying to establish a easily recognizable identity.

SHORT DESCRIPTION

The car body is divided in two, with the lower body housing the hydrogen fuel cell reserve, the car structure and electronic components, and the upper body containing the passenger seats, structure and the envelope. The four wheels are separated from the body, simplifying the internal structure. In the design, particular emphasis was placed on trying to capture some of Peugeot design features incorporated in it’s production and concept car models.

FEATURES

SHAPE/ CONFIGURATION

While providing the same cross section as a highly aerodynamic sport car, which creates minimal drag while driving, Peugeot honey-B would give the same feeling of security and well being as a large SUV (sport utility vehicle). The passengers would sit in a line, providing each with full panoramic views, and a greater feeling of individuality. The roof and windows are combined in a single canopy, and passengers can enjoy the same thrill experienced during flight.

PROPULSION/ MANEUVRABILITY

Featuring four wheel drive and steering, Peugeot honey-B would enjoy excellent maneuverability and ride comfort in both city and off road conditions. Powered by four small in-wheel electric engines and hydrogen fuel cells, much like the Peugeot Quark concept vehicle, Peugeot honey-B would provide an ecological alternative to today’s mainstream propulsion systems, while, at the same time, giving excellent performance and freeing up much interior space. The hydrogen fuel cells are housed in the lower body, giving stability to the whole car, assuring a smooth, safe ride. The four small electric in-wheel engines offer multiple advantages, for instance there is no need for complex transmission gears, thus saving weight and internal space. They also allow for energy recuperation during breaking.

RETRACTABLE SEATING

To provide comfort and also to provide easy access for disabled people, Peugeot honey-b features retractable seating, powered by small, on board hydraulic systems. The systems assures that the car would be accessible for every person, of every age. The system would work in the following order: first the canopy would lift up; then the computer driven retractable chair would deploy into preset positions around the vehicle, and then, in turns, the passengers would take their seats, which would automatically start to fold, and retract into the interior of the car. Computers would monitor at all time the procedure, adjusting the hydraulic pressure depending on the passenger’s weight and movements.

COMPUTER ASSISTED DRIVING â€“ TOUCHPAD REPLACES STEERING WHEEL

The experience of driving would be made easier and more enjoyable by the use of computer- assisted driving, much like in today’s modern airplanes, where the pilot gives instructions to a computer, which in turn decides exactly what to do. For this reason, and also to free space, the steering wheel is replaced by a pair of touchpad areas, controlling at the same time acceleration and breaking, and left and wright steering. Also the control board would feature advanced, OLED displays, giving a flexible account of the vehicle’s status and whereabouts.

LED HEADLIGHTS

The PEUGEOT honey-B also features a new system, which replaces traditional lightbulb headlights, and it’s based on new LED technology, much more flexible and durable. The headlights would practically conform to the shape of the mirror system, resulting in a much more integrated design.

CONCLUSION

The PEUGEOT Design Competition has been a great challenge, but also a good opportunity to engage new ideas. The PEUGEOT honey-B helped me understand a little bit better both the limitations, but also the opportunities presented to today’s automotive industry.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Tue, 14 Feb 12 19:19:06 +0000.

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2007 Peugeot Design Contest: Peugeot Venom

Paul Tan — Sun, 24 Dec 2006 08:31:23 +0000

This is the Peugeot Venom, another entry for the 2007 Peugeot Design Contest. This particular concept car was designed by 23 year old David Seesing from the United Kingdom. The car has a narrow cockpit inspired by Formula 1 car design, and seats two. A description by the designer as well as more photos after the jump.

Peugeot Venom â€“ modular tandem sports car
by David Seesing, 23 years, United Kingdom

After reading the briefing for the Peugeot Design Contest 2007 I was thinking about how to refer to the six Keywords in regards of my concept. Quickly I was certain about the point that my car should convey driving pleasure by lively and sportive performance. That was the reason for me to do a tandem sports car. The narrow cockpit, strongly inspired by formula one, and the low driving position make the passengers feel like sitting in a racing car. For me it was decisive that two people fit into the car so that they have the possibility to share collected feelings and impressions.

The consideration of the keywords efficient, accessible, simple and ecological forms the creative and technical focus of the concept. Consciously I decided not to use an ecological power train for the concept but draw the attention to the way the car is built.

The Peugeot Venom consists of different modules, of which the whole car can be mounted. As a first step of the designing process I the divided the car into sensible modules. I decided to group the suspension and the dampers to one module which can be used in identical design for each wheel. The second module is the fender. Diagonal opposite fenders are similar to each other. The headlight module can be used at the front and the rear and differs just by the colour of its glazing.

Forming the base of the car the cockpit offers space for two passengers and the engine. The four identical suspension modules are mounted to the cockpit. At the front, the rear and in the middle the fenders are fixed to the cockpit and to each other. Finally the headlights are fixed to the fenders.

The idea of a modular vehicle concept implies several benefits in regard of the production process efficiency. By using many similar parts the production costs are lowered, but also assembly and repairs are becoming more simple. The simplicity is another advantage in terms of ecological consideration. The most challenging part of the concept was to find an independent design for the front and rear end of the car, though using many similar parts. Front and rear are defined by the strongly decreasing body shape. Furthermore the dynamic appearance of the car is supported by the length of its overhangs and the bevelled body. That creates the impression of the car striving forwards. The core values of the Peugeot Style Philosophy, style and dynamic, were also playing a major part during the designing process. The outlines of the fenders, suspensions and the cockpit are gathering at the front and the rear to big air intakes and create a strong v-shape. This shape emphasises the impression of dynamics. Following to the Peugeot Style Philosophy, the headlights peer underneath the fenders in a feline way.

For the name of the concept I wanted a word which fits to the aggressive and sportive appearance of the car. Due to the fact that the car reminds me of a jet fighter I decided to use the name of the de Havilland fighter â€œVenomâ€. Even the meaning of the word fits to the concept and its green colour. Finally I took the top view outlines of the fenders for the â€œmâ€ to create the icon.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Tue, 14 Feb 12 19:19:06 +0000.

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2007 Peugeot Design Contest: Concept LiiON

Paul Tan — Sun, 24 Dec 2006 08:01:47 +0000

This entry for the 2007 Peugeot Design Contest is the Concept LiiON by Sano Cristian, 27 years old from Romania. it is a 3-wheeled concept vehicle, with a single wheel at the back, and it is able to lean from side to side for cornering. The vehicle is powered by an electric motor powered by lithium ion cells (hence the name LiiON) which drives the single rear wheel. A description by the designer and more photos after the jump.

Concept LiiON (designed by Sano Cristian)

Taking the pleasure of driving to the next level? Easy! Concept Liion was designed to fit everyone’s mood. I used a different design approach by combining car and motorcycle design from start. The main design lines flow from front to end to make the car aerodynamic, fast. The lion which is present in all Peugeot cars can be seen here, too: the front grill is its mouth, the headlights are its eyes, the Peugeot badge suggest a nose, and the motorcycle like rear resembles a lion’s tail.

Why 3 wheels?

It’s not just for the image, the vehicle can lean left and right in corners, It combines the thrill of riding a bike with the stability and safety of a car, allowing Liion to be a very agile cat, accelerating and breaking fast, giving new challenges to drifters. Leaning also ensures much better comfort when cornering and makes the car appealing to motorcycle riders as well.

What’s under the hood?

Well, not really under the hood, but inside the rear wheel an electric motor is placed that moves the car. It is powered by Li-ion (lithium – ion) cells, just like laptops. This technology has been proven to work with cars as well, and it fits Liion perfectly (yes, that’s where the concept name comes from). It is ecological and very practical, since a special recharger for Liion, built to take electricity from a normal power output, can be placed in any garage and recharge the car for the next day fun at the race track. There’s no need for a complex infrastructure before putting Liion on the street.

Hollow Wheels.

I like the way they look, and i also think that they will be widely used in the future, for example to put an engine inside, or use the outer rim as a rail for electromagnetic propulsion. Wheels can provide a lot of extra space.

Materials and equipment.

The lightest materials are always preferred to save power consumption, aluminium – carbon alloys, electrochromic glass to control the amount of light inside the cockpit. For the interior, i would use materials found in sportswear (e.g. memory foams, air cushions, hexalite). For lighting, the choice could be LED lights. The steering wheel should look similar to the Xbox controller. The use of a temperature-changing paint would make Liion lively.

An onboard computer controls the car, for optimum performance and power saving. It also calculates the steering and leaning angle necessary at a certain speed, combines this data with algorithms for suspension and then sends signals to a special electromagnetic system, which has a double function in this way (shock absorbing and leaning). Steering is done by small motors near each front wheel, to allow the computer to move them in the perfect position with accurate precision. Leaning can be turned off at any moment, the ground clearance can be changed, and boosts of electricity to the electromagnetic suspension can make Liion jump.

Videogames technology.

I heard that the electromagnetic suspension lowers the feedback to the driver, thus affecting driving pleasure. Then, why not bringing the thrills back by using an advanced force feedback system ? Peugeot and Xbox could develop this together, if it hasn’t been done already. It would provide a great advantage to Liion, because the driving mood could be tuned just like in a videogame, allowing the driver to choose somewhere between a “sunday cruise driving mood” that is almost perfectly smooth and noiseless and a “daredevil mood” that could give thrills even to experienced Formula 1 pilots. Then, user moods that can be saved, tuned,improved, maybe transferred from the Xbox console to a car and viceversa… Concept Liion boosts the imagination.

The new xbox presentation for the 20cup would fit well Liion. And since one of the main advantages of my concept is performance in corners, i would present the 20cup “cornered” by one or two “liions”. At an automotive show, this vehicle could be animated to lean towards the visitors from time to time. Inside, an Xbox console could be installed, to allow visitors to drive the car virtually, maybe in the pre-release demo of Project Gotham Racing 4.

To review:

P (pleasurable)? – leans for stability and comfort, noiseless, very flexible/adaptable/tuneable, good looking.

L (lively)? – it’s electric, fast as a lightning, it leans, it’s orange (the colour of energy) .

E (efficient)? – it is a smart car, using modern technologies, powersaving, doesn’t need a complex infrastructure.

A (accessible)? – every technology mentioned for this concept exists today and it is accessible, making Liion a dream come true is in the hands of Peugeot.

S (simple)? – simply beautiful! simply fun! everyone will simply love it at first sight.

E (ecological)? – it uses electricity, better electric energy storing solutions, more advanced computers,light materials and alloys will make Liion use even less energy and possibly recharging directly in the sunlight.

I hope that Liion will get to the heart of the people that see it. Many thanks to Peugeot for giving us good challenge every two years. Good Luck to all participants!

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Tue, 14 Feb 12 19:19:06 +0000.

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2007 Peugeot Design Contest: Peugeot PLAIRE

Paul Tan — Sun, 24 Dec 2006 07:31:18 +0000

I will be posting all 30 entries to the 2006/2007 Peugeot Design Contest for your viewing pleasure. The 2007 Peugeot Design Contest theme for this year is P.L.E.A.S.E. Innovate. P for Pleasurable to Drive, L for Lively, E for Efficient, A for Accessible, S for Simple, and E for Ecological. This is the Peugeot PLAIRE, by 35 year old James Ma from the USA. More photos and details after the jump.

Concept:

Inspired by open wheel hot rods of the 50′s combined with the sporty roadsters of today, this hybrid vehicle is designed to capture the spirit of driving pleasure with the efficiency of a modern compact.

Construction:

Taking advantage of recycled plastics for all the paneling over the aluminum and carbon fiber frame underneath. Interior fabrics are made from synthetics and recycled plastics as well.

Features:

The front fenders are attached to the wheel axels and pivot with the steering, allowing the headlights to illuminate the heading of the vehicle. The lower panel of the doors are windows that give driver and passenger an added sensation of closeness to the road.

The open cockpit design provides the sensation of a convertible while the cantilevered moon roof gives protection against light elements.

Overall the combination of design and materials along with the fuel efficiency of hybrid technology makes the Plaire a great weekend car as well as a weekday commuter.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Tue, 14 Feb 12 19:19:06 +0000.

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Paul Tan's Automotive News » 2007 Peugeot Design Contest

2007 Peugeot Design Contest: Peugeot Mistral

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