Peugeot pens new Airbus helicopter

Airbus Helicopters has presented its new H160 helicopter at the Dubai Airshow earlier this week, and the new chopper started out on the drawing board of the Peugeot Design Lab.

The sleek, dynamic lines of the H160 represent a new aesthetic for helicopters in the product range, reflecting the generational leap that this model embodies.

Designers at the Peugeot Design Lab began work on the H160, which was known then as the X4, after winning an Airbus Helicopters in-house design competition, which was aimed at getting external design influences and creating a new benchmark in helicopter styling.

Airbus Helicopters then had its own design team develop and fine-tune the initial design submitted by Peugeot to create the aircraft that was presented in Dubai.

"We used the initial styling developed by Peugeot Design Lab to define a strong personality for the rotorcraft – a mirror reflection of the innovation, performance and emotion unique to the H160," said Guillaume Chielens, Head of Style and Design at Airbus Helicopters.

"We developed a helicopter based on [Peugeot's] design, which immediately caught the attention of both operators and the general public."

"Style has become a key priority for the H160 programme, which aims to make a strong impression both with its unique personality and its performance," he added.

The helicopter's tapered windows and futuristic contours enhance the rotorcraft's design, along with its sleek lines, which convey how efficient and quiet the H160 is in the air.

Cathal Loughnane, Head of the Peugeot global brand design studio, said that with this project the Peugeot Design Lab has proven its ability for more complex projects.

"Peugeot Design Lab demonstrated its ability to take on complex technological projects through its work on the exterior design of the H160," he said.

One of the latest Peugeot Design projects includes a Peugeot-branded food truck, cleverly named Le Bistro du Lion.