Peugeot presents its Le Mans Hypercar for the 24 Hours of Le Mans

CARhebdo revealed it to you in preview: Peugeot will return to Sarthe with a Hypercar in the premier category of 24 Hours of Le Mans. The Lion will use a hybrid propulsion system and will develop no less than 500 kW (or around 680 horsepower) distributed over the two axles. In fact, the car will be a four-wheel drive. 

Jean Philippe Imparato, PEUGEOT Brand Director

“This category brings together our entire company and all our entities, with features and technologies close to our production cars. Through this commitment, PEUGEOT is opening a new register which is that of neo-performance. We are coming back to endurance because we have the opportunity to work on the sport in another form with gasoline/electric hybridization. PEUGEOT Sport changes its identity, launches its label of high-performance electrified vehicles PEUGEOT SPORT ENGINEERED, with its first 508 model: 360 horsepower, 4-wheel drive, 46g of CO2. This endurance program allows us to fully enter the energy transition. »

Philippe Montanteme, Director of Total Marketing Strategy & Research:

“PEUGEOT and TOTAL have had 25 years of close collaboration. But it is also a great bond in motorsport. Competition, strongly ingrained in our DNA, represents a true technological laboratory for our respective brands. It is in this laboratory that we work together in the perpetual search for performance and efficiency, in order to transfer the best solutions and products from high-level sport to our end customers. This ''Le Mans Hypercar'' project now opens up new possibilities for joint development on the entire energy system of the car: on the efficiency of our fuels - in the same way as for all competitors as exclusive supplier- or for lubricants, specifically designed for hybrid vehicles. It will also allow TOTAL and SAFT teams to study new opportunities in the battery sector with PEUGEOT. TOTAL is now a multi-energy group that knows how to meet all mobility needs, while maintaining a pioneering spirit. This “Le Mans Hypercar” project is the perfect incarnation. »

Olivier Jansonnie, Tech Directorique PEUGEOT Sport program WEC : 

“The car will therefore be a 4-wheel drive, equipped – as the regulations require – with an electric motor with a maximum power of 200kW on the front axle. The total power level will be identical to that of a 100% thermal 2-wheel drive car (500kW or approximately 680hp) but distributed between the 2 axles. Compared to what we currently know in LMP1, the car will be closer to road vehicles, therefore with a higher mass and larger dimensions (length 5m ald 4.65m and width 2m ald 1m90).

This regulation is also very different because it includes a balancing of performances (BoP: Balance of Performance). It certainly gives limits but also opens up many technical possibilities for development, particularly on general shapes as long as we do not exceed a certain overall aerodynamic efficiency, which will be measured in a 1:1 scale wind tunnel and which will be part of the BOP (balance of performance).

Today, we have validated part of the aerodynamic concept, the engine architecture is defined. The operation of the hybrid system and its main architecture were also chosen. There are therefore still many steps remaining between now and our arrival in endurance in 2022, in the study, the production of prototypes and finally the validation on the bench and on the track”

Matthias Hossan, PEUGEOT Design Director:

“The new Le Mans Hypercar category offers a unique and historic opportunity for collaboration between sports and design teams. The regulations fully respond to PEUGEOT's need and desire to embody its vision of the future in its next competition car: that of electrified neo-performance.

The appearance of vehicles will no longer just be the result of purely technical optimization in the wind tunnel, we will truly have the space to create a unique, iconic object, combining performance and expressiveness. We intend to make the most of the room for maneuver offered and this is a project that promises to be very exciting! Currently, we are at the preliminary project, study and concept stage.

We discussed regulatory concepts with the PEUGEOT Sport teams to ensure we were well informed on what is and is not authorized. The rest of the project will be carried out in close collaboration between the two teams.

These sketches are the first design intentions to identify the strong elements on which we can focus. The three claws and the colors are symbols that we want to find on our Hypercar. Our light signature is one of the strong identity signs present on our production vehicles that we want to find in racing.”