The Beauty & The Beast At #MondialParis
There were two cars that stole the show and competed for the most desirable automobile at the Mondial de l’Auto 2018 à Paris.
Those were the Hyundai Le Fil Rouge — Poetry in Motion, pure elegance — and the retro Peugeot e-Legend, offspring of the 504 Coupe from Pininfarina and a wild night with the Ford Mustang (raw power ready to explode).
Because both are concept cars that can actually drive, the specs are real, albeit a bit aspirational. Both have ample range, superfast charging, superb sports-car characteristics, and can be used in autonomous mode as a cozy room on wheels. If they ever came to production, the price would probably be closer to $200,000 than to $100,000.
Because beauty is in the eye of the beholder, the photos of these two very different beauties should enable you to make your own choice.
The sky must have been the limit for the designers. What helps is that, in autonomous mode, the car is not just a vehicle to get forward anymore, but is also a sitting room where you can relax and work together.
Let’s be fair — most interiors of cars look the same: grey (nicely called anthracite or graphite) or, worse, black. Suddenly, there is room to make the interior a piece of art and a source of joy. No longer will the fear of muddy boots and kids with ice cream limit the designers in creating a beautiful place for beautiful people.
The Hyundai designers faced the challenge of combining nature with high tech.
Pigments from tealeaves and olives are available for the public to take home.
They used the golden ratio to proportion the car body. The finish is a 3D holochromatic paint, creating rainbow effects with different lighting.
The interior of the car is furnished with natural materials, treated with high-tech processes to get the needed durability.
For the warm coloring of the leather chairs, they used the natural pigments from tealeaves and olives.
Dashboard and panels are constructed of sheaves of real wood in a stunning combination with linen and wool.
The Peugeot e-Legend is a completely different Beast.
It is reminiscent of times past, but certainly not a sentimental journey. The sweet memories did not hold back the designers to do a great job to combine the past and the future.
Inspired by the sporty capacities offered by an electric drivetrain, they took this iconic elegant design and infused it with the personality of an American muscle car. With this concept car, they indeed proved that “Boredom is not in our DNA.”
The Beast’s interior could not have been a starker contrast with its brutal front. Its lavish blue velvet is not only perfect to take the happy few to a red carper event or a bunch of high school kids to their prom. When you enter this festive turquoise world, it is like arriving at a party — whether it is you having gossips over tea with some friends, turning the daily commute with your spouse into a romantic waltz through the everyday traffic jam, or having a flock of preschoolers enjoy their ice cream in the back seats. The soft fabric is there just to support you and any stains from your partying will automagically disappear. All you have to do is float above the clouds and be happy.
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