Big, boxy SUVs will soon disappear from forecourts as aerodynamic designs will be favoured for future generations of electric cars, the boss of Peugeot has claimed.
Speaking at the Financial Times’ Future of the Car event, Linda Jackson suggested that as a vehicle’s range takes precedence, both by manufacturers and buyers, bigger cars will become fewer, if even obsolete.
“Gone are the days when you have a big SUV, because they’re a nightmare for aerodynamics,” she added.
Currently, the French brand’s line-up features three SUVs and crossovers, with the Peugeot e-2008 the only to offer a fully electric option. The e-3008 will follow this year, but the Peugeot 5008, its largest production model, hasn’t been confirmed to be getting an EV variant – and these latest comments fuel speculation that it might never.
Instead, Peugeot could look to entice SUV owners with segment-straddling vehicles that are more aerodynamically designed but offer similar practically, such as the rakish new Peugeot 408.
Speaking previously, Jackson noted that customers for the 408 could come from the C- or D-segments. “It has become a lot more fluid,” she said.