Peugeot LE-O Concept Shows the French Lambo Urus in All Its CGI Glory

We've all been there before, more or less, when Porsche did the same thing with the now very famous Cayenne and look what the high-riding vehicle did for the German brand. It basically kept it afloat single-handedly during some pretty rough times in the automotive industry.

With all that in mind, it should have come as very little surprise that Lambo doubled its sales with the launch of the Urus, its V8-powered SUV that, as it happens, is actually heavily based on the Porsche Cayenne we mentioned before (well, not the one that came out in 2002, obviously, but the current generation).

The Urus has quite a few things going for it, and I wouldn't be surprised if it was the first Lambo owned for most of its buyers. For one thing, being the most affordable model in the range, it provides a lower entry point into the family of the Italian manufacturer, even if not by a lot. However, considering you get a lot of car for the money you pay - as opposed to something like the Huracan - and one that you can easily use as a daily, the transaction will feel much more like a bargain. Bargain? Since it costs well over $200,000, perhaps that's not the best word to describe it, but given the context, you get what I mean.

The Urus was not the model to introduce the concept of performance SUV and nor is it the quickest or the fastest but, given the way it looks, it's probably the first one that pops into everyone's mind whenever they think of one. Well, if exterior design was to reflect a vehicle's performance levels, then this Peugeot LE-O Concept from French designer Alexis Poncelet would definitely be giving the world's best hypercars a run for their money.

Despite its aggressive appearance, the LE-O is intended as a be-all-end-all solution for future vehicles, a model that bridges the gap between all three major segments - sedans, stations wagons, and SUVs. Looking at it, you can definitely see a bit of each, with a definite drop of "coupe" thrown in the mix, all covered with a sporty icing on top.

Looks, as many of us have probably found out the hard way by now, can be deceiving, and the age-old saying applies better than anywhere else to the Peugeot LE-O. According to its creator, the e-CUV (electric crossover vehicle) is meant to act as a more affordable alternative to the offerings of the premium German brands such as Audi or Mercedes, probably undercutting the price for models such as the Volkswagen ID.4 in the process as well.

Having a vehicle that looks like a much more athletic Lamborghini Urus and relying only on something like 200-300 horsepower for propulsion, however, would be the biggest missed opportunity since the DeLorean DMC-12. Okay, we're talking about EV horsepower, but even so, it's still far from what that exterior design calls for.

Besides, that very same design gives off the impression that it'll be way out of your budget range. It almost looks beyond premium. Then again, check out Peugeot's current range. The appearance of the French manufacturer's models doesn't exactly fall within the norms, does it? The company is constantly trying to push the limits of mainstream design, so why should the LE-O be such an unlikely proposition a few years from now?

Usually, this type of shape means some aspects of the car need to be sacrificed, with practicality on top of that list. Sure enough, LE-O's steeply raked rear end means cargo space had to take a hit, but the long wheelbase suggests there should be plenty of room inside for anything up to five people. What's more, given the size of the doors, I'd be very surprised if it didn't feature a suicide setup at the rear, much like a Mazda RX-8 or, a bit more recently, the BMW i3.

The name itself, LE-O, hides a pretty clever wordplay. On the one hand, if you ignore the hyphen, it spells LEO, which is French for "lion", and if you are familiar with Peugeot's logo, you'll know why that is relevant to the brand. On the other hand, though, you can imagine the "O" is actually a zero, making the translation of its name "The Zero". That wouldn't have been very flattering a decade ago but with the advent of electric vehicles, the once dreaded number now stands for zero (tailpipe) emissions, which is what EVs are ultimately all about.

All things considered, the LE-O feels a bit too outlandish even for a company as extravagant as Peugeot, but at the same time, if the French were to come out with something similar, nobody would be that surprised. Too bad the looks of this virtual model wouldn't be matched by the kind of Urus-intimidating levels of performance they imply.