The Peugeot “Claw” – The Genesis Of The Distinctive Luminous LED Signature!
Lighting Isn't Just For Safety, Its For Style...
The coming of daytime running lights (DRLs) has undoubtedly been a favorite in road safety, with the obligation of lights on during the day to add additional safety on public roads.
The technology has evolved over the decades and from the original position of lights with a more powerful bulb, we have seen automakers quickly move on to a light-emitting diode (LED), favored by their low energy consumption. LEDs also allow designers to express themselves more freely in the definition of the styling of light signatures.
One of the Stellantis brands that have used LEDs to express its brand identity is Peugeot. The new path in the automotive industry has allowed Peugeot to make its cars clearly more identifiable, during the day and the night.
DRLs have been present on the “Lion” brand’s vehicles for some time, however, the evolution of a lighting signature was introduced to the brand in 2017, with the introduction of the Peugeot Instinct Concept car. A prototype that provided several ideas for the Peugeot lineup that would come in the following years. One of those aspects was the luminous “front claw” LED signature, making the car strongly distinctive and imposing the “Lion” DNA into the car’s design.
The design was soon adopted in 2018 on the brand’s flagship 508. This time, the 508 would integrate the “front claw” designed light segments from the Instinct Concept, but protect them with a transparent cover that allowed light to also be seen from the side of the vehicle. The transparent cover not only helped with the added safety of the vehicle but gave the vehicle’s exterior a more technological look.
In 2019, it was the 208 and 2008’s turn. The two models marked a strong leap forward in technological terms in the segment to which they belong. So Peugeot designers not only added the “front claw” design up front but the “triple claw” design in both vehicles’ LED taillight designs. It allowed the vehicles to again be instantly identifiable from not only the front but the rear this time. Peugeot also noted that the new taillight design ensured that the vehicle could be identified even in dim light situations where the dipped headlights may not come on.
With the recent introductions of the new 308 hatchbacks and 308 wagons, Peugeot has taken the luminous claw signature and combined it (depending on the trim) with the new Matrix LED lighting. Matrix LED exterior lighting features an adaptive driving beam (ADB) system equipped with an array of individually addressable and controllable LEDs which work together with an electronic control unit (ECU) and traffic detection device in order to optimize lighting scenarios for improved driving visibility at night time, without applying glare to drivers in oncoming or preceding vehicles. The new system will also not only join the 308 lineups but the all-new 408 crossovers arriving in 2023.
At the same time, Peugeot has introduced a new “triple claw” look for the headlights as well as the taillights on its newest racecar: the Peugeot 9X8 Hypercar. Designers say they wanted to give the car a more recognizable look while they race around the circuits of the World Endurance Championship (WEC), in both day and night situations. It also gives the car a more technologically advanced look on the track.
Peugeot Signature Lighting Image Gallery:
