A rival has emerged for the Renault 5 Turbo 3E: Peugeot will produce the E-T16

Surprise! Peugeot plans to put the E-T16 Concept prototype into production, a reinterpretation of the legendary 1980s Peugeot 205 T16. According to Alain Favery, the company’s CEO, the final model could be ready as early as next year, competing with the Renault 5 Turbo 3E, which will begin deliveries by the end of this year.

The launch of the E-T16 will revive one of the most iconic rivalries in rally racing, as both the 205 T16 and R5 Turbo shared a very similar concept: starting from mass-market hatchbacks, Peugeot and Renault created powerful mid-engine vehicles that, in their most extreme versions, faced off against each other in the legendary Group B category of the World Rally Championship.

Favey states that it is technically feasible to manufacture a vehicle like the E-T16 despite its radical design, as it is based on the STLA One modular platform (the Renault 5 Turbo 3E uses the same platform as the future Alpine A110 electric car). "We can do it. The car is built on STLA One. We have many components from the new E-208. We can produce it exactly as you see here. We can build this car next year. We’ll see."

"In a way, it’s a simple exercise: to say 'we’re going to create a car that will make you dream, but one we can also actually build.' At least it’s a car we can manufacture. It’s technically possible." The production version would retain all the performance features of the prototype.

The Peugeot E-T16 Concept is built on the STLA One platform

The Peugeot E-T16 Concept uses three electric motors (one on the front axle and two on the rear). Of course, it also features a torque vectoring system to optimize the vehicle’s handling. Its braking system consists of four 380 mm discs, while the tires are equipped with Michelin tires that are 275 mm wide in the front and 315 mm wide at the rear.

The manufacturer states that the E-T16 Concept is capable of completing three laps around the Nürburgring Nordschleife circuit (over 60 km) in Performance mode without any loss of power. “The E-T16 Concept reinterprets the lines of the future Peugeot E-208, pushing every proportion to its extreme. It’s a radical design that honors our heritage and transforms power and sport into a true language of design,” said Matthias Hossann, Peugeot’s design director, a few days ago.

Source | Autocar