308 RC Z - Peugeot

A Peugeot,DESIGN COMPETITION 2007PLEASEInnovationBy: Christian DescombesPhotos: Direction Peugeot CommunicationPeugeot launched its4 th internet-based designcompetition by invitingbudding car stylists tosubmit projects, thatcomplied with a particulartheme: PLEASE Innovate!A full-size model of Flux, thewinning entry, was exhibitedat the Frankfurt Motor Showin late 2007.Since the year 2000, it has becomea Peugeot custom to launch designcompetitions during the Paris MotorShow. The fourth in the series wasannounced in September 2006, and entrantswere asked to consider thematic ideas basedaround the acronym PLEASE. The threeprevious subjects had been a Peugeot forthe year 2020, a retro-futurist Peugeot and aPeugeot of the near future.SHOWCASING PEUGEOT’SCORE VALUESEach of the word PLEASE’s six lettersrepresented an element for entrants toconsider. They stand for: pure drivingPleasure thanks to Lightness and Efficiency,yet still Accessible thanks to Simplicity andEnvironmentally friendly conception. Thesewere the themes selected as a source ofinspiration to channel candidates’ thoughtsin a particular direction. The six elementstypify a modern car that manages to beenvironmentally sensitive without sacrificinganything in terms of sheer driving enjoyment.And these are essential targets for Peugeot.The competition was not, then, aboutconjuring anything too fanciful – the goalwas to find a design steeped in reality.It had to be functional, a car packed withfeasible technology.Flux benefits from a very structured designand the two principal metal elementsappear to be suspended in the air.The cockpit’s similar aeronautical overtoneswere clearly visible when the full-size modelwas unveiled in Frankfurt.