Peugeot 407 Elixir concept to debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show

Aug 30, 2003 – It has been expected by many that Peugeot would use Frankfurt for the presentation of the 406 successor. They will not, but you may still get a very interesting glimpse of which way Peugeot design is heading with the 407 Elixir concept.

It is built on the same platform as the coming production model, at 2725 mm the wheelbase is nearly identical to the 406, but 21 inch wheels are very different to the current ones, as is the very wide track (164/168 cm). Length (4734 mm) and width (1920 mm) are more than the 406 measures, but the height (1400 mm) is identical. For the concept car, the engineers have grabbed a 2,7 litre diesel-six with 200hp from the stores, surely a popular choice when the model becomes a reality too.

Designwise the Elixir is characterised by an extremely sloping windscreen, combined with a contrasting, nearly vertical tailgate for it’s 3 door sports-coupé (spare us from the cross-over monicker, please) shape. The wedge-shape is accentuated by the triangular side windows and the narrow rear window which also ends with a triangular graphic drawn around the C-pillar corner.

The aggressive frontal aspect (is the lion going to eat you alive?) might be a controversal theme if it makes it into production, even if we know Peugeot is well advanced in meeting the coming ”save-the-pedestrians” rulings that will come in to force soon in Europe. But it is still fairly certain that Peugeots will use the enormous air intake to a much greater degree in the future.

The interior looks ready for production, and very inviting it is too. Light and airy, down-to-earth with brushed metals where others would have put wood (or even blacker plastic). I’m sure the production version will not differ greatly from what we see on the Elixir, and that must make Paul Braq proud of his successors.

Peugeot will also show the Hoggar (Geneva, 2003) once more, on a desert island setting. And they will have made the winning design from this year’s Peugeot Design Competition into a full size model. At least we can agree that Stefan Schultze’s 4002 bears a stronger Peugeot family resemblance than the Moonster from Peugeot’s first design competition.

	Peugeot 407 Elixir concept to debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show by Jon Winding-Sørensen
	Click for larger image	Aug 30, 2003 – It has been expected by many that Peugeot would use Frankfurt for the presentation of the 406 successor. They will not, but you may still get a very interesting glimpse of which way Peugeot design is heading with the 407 Elixir concept. It is built on the same platform as the coming production model, at 2725 mm the wheelbase is nearly identical to the 406, but 21 inch wheels are very different to the current ones, as is the very wide track (164/168 cm). Length (4734 mm) and width (1920 mm) are more than the 406 measures, but the height (1400 mm) is identical. For the concept car, the engineers have grabbed a 2,7 litre diesel-six with 200hp from the stores, surely a popular choice when the model becomes a reality too. Designwise the Elixir is characterised by an extremely sloping windscreen, combined with a contrasting, nearly vertical tailgate for it’s 3 door sports-coupé (spare us from the cross-over monicker, please) shape. The wedge-shape is accentuated by the triangular side windows and the narrow rear window which also ends with a triangular graphic drawn around the C-pillar corner. The aggressive frontal aspect (is the lion going to eat you alive?) might be a controversal theme if it makes it into production, even if we know Peugeot is well advanced in meeting the coming ”save-the-pedestrians” rulings that will come in to force soon in Europe. But it is still fairly certain that Peugeots will use the enormous air intake to a much greater degree in the future. The interior looks ready for production, and very inviting it is too. Light and airy, down-to-earth with brushed metals where others would have put wood (or even blacker plastic). I’m sure the production version will not differ greatly from what we see on the Elixir, and that must make Paul Braq proud of his successors. Peugeot will also show the Hoggar (Geneva, 2003) once more, on a desert island setting. And they will have made the winning design from this year’s Peugeot Design Competition into a full size model. At least we can agree that Stefan Schultze’s 4002 bears a stronger Peugeot family resemblance than the Moonster from Peugeot’s first design competition.