Peugeot i-On: A Strange Ripoff

It’s not exactly the kind of thing you ever expect to read about, but it seems that the auto industry likes to indulge in its share of “black repaints”.  The recently announced Peugeot i-On, as it turns out, is actually just a really lightly modified Mitsubishi iMiEV.

This isn’t the first time that Peugeot’s been a bit strapped for ideas and turned to its Japanese cohorts for advice and new options–as it turns out, the Peugeot 4007 SUV is really just, again, a really lightly modified Mitsubishi Outlander.

I’m at a loss to describe what exactly this means.  Is this the start of a strange new strategic alliance?  Is this some kind of unexpected business move?  Or is Peugeot’s design team just so utterly bereft of ideas that they’re willing to subcontract designs from Mitsubishi so they have something, ANYTHING, to show?

I invite discussion on this one–the idea is outlandish but just about anything’s a possible explanation at this point.