Peugeot Sport today announced details of the driver line-up for its upcoming WEC campaign, and Olivier Jansonnie, technical director on the hypercar program, also provided a progress update on the project.
Peugeot will use a 2.6-liter, twin-turbocharged engine coupled with a 200kW front MGU unit in the car, with the former nearing completion of the first test units.
“We will have the first engine in the next few weeks and it will be on the dyno shortly,” Jansonnie revealed. “Then, in September, we will receive the first front powertrain, with the electric machine and the gearbox, for rig testing. We will then put everything together, the front and the rear, on our brand-new four-wheel-drive dyno in November.”
As for the rest of the car’s design, he noted that although it is still evolving, some areas are nearing sign-off.
“The aero development is ongoing and on track,” he said. “The most demanding thing is to integrate all of the design and styling elements from the brand and reach the required performance for the balance of performance. We are starting to freeze some of the elements of the monocoque and finalize some of the concept. We know 95% what the car is going to look like; we now have to finalize the details, deliver the design and, finally, release everything for production. That will be roughly around summertime.”
According to Jansonnie, the design team is on course to deliver the car on time. However, he cautioned, “There are many things that can go wrong, both from design and production, but currently, we are on track to drive the car before the end of the year.”
