PEUGEOT opens a new chapter and presents its vision of the future of the automobile

PEUGEOT Inception Concept. (Picture: Chris Noltekuhlmann)

ALLURE

With a new official message exalting its feline and attractive attitude, its revolutionary interior design and its promise of unrivalled driving sensations, the PEUGEOT INCEPTION CONCEPT heralds a new era and embodies the Brand’s vision for future electric vehicles.  The first PEUGEOT Design Manifesto led by Matthias Hossann, the PEUGEOT INCEPTION CONCEPT embodies the major change of the Brand.

EMOTION

The PEUGEOT INCEPTION CONCEPT expresses this optimistic vision with conviction, ready to meet the challenges of the future. With its new generation i-Cockpit® and its Hypersquare control system, it revolutionises driving enjoyment by offering a new, intuitive way of operating the car. Its innovative Skyspace panoramic glass concept provides new emotions and sensations. Its passenger compartment has a new interior space and the innovative architecture is complemented by materials that play with their coloured reflections to shun black while redefining the idea of durability through new techniques.

EXCELLENCE

The PEUGEOT INCEPTION CONCEPT opens up new perspectives with a daring architecture, derived from the generation of “BEV-by-design” platforms, and comes in a generous size, further highlighting the excellence of its innovations. This manifesto will inspire the Brand’s future products, down to the most compact models of the range, from 2025.

Linda Jackson CEO of the PEUGEOT brand: “PEUGEOT is committed to the electrification of its range. In 2023, 100% of the vehicles in the range will be electrified and in the next two years, five new 100% electric models will be launched. Our ambition is simple: to make PEUGEOT the leading electric brand in Europe by 2030. This objective and ambitious vision pave the way for a radical transformation for the Brand. It is embodied today in the PEUGEOT INCEPTION CONCEPT which marks the beginning of a new era! PEUGEOT promises that the world is a better place with Allure, the PEUGEOT INCEPTION CONCEPT embodies the meaning of this promise from today onwards.”

The name PEUGEOT INCEPTION CONCEPT (or ‘Inceptio’ in Latin) means ‘the beginning’. No other name could better summarise the ambition of this PEUGEOT manifesto, which carries the promise of a new era for the Brand. With its visionary design, the PEUGEOT INCEPTION CONCEPT offers original technological perspectives and takes you on an exclusive automotive experience.

Matthias Hossann, PEUGEOT Design Director: “PEUGEOT is changing, but the PEUGEOT INCEPTION CONCEPT remains unmistakeably a PEUGEOT. It expresses the timeless feline attraction of the Brand and shows how optimistic we are about the future of the car and the emotions it provides. Bright and full of light, the PEUGEOT INCEPTION CONCEPT reinvents the spatial experience of driving while illustrating some of our thinking behind reducing PEUGEOT’s carbon footprint by more than 50% by 2030. The transformation of the Brand concerns all aspects of the design, production and life of tomorrow’s PEUGEOT. Design is an integral part of this transformation.”

The PEUGEOT INCEPTION CONCEPT is designed on one of the four future Stellantis Group “BEV-by-design” platforms. The arrival of this new range of platforms from 2023 will revolutionise the PEUGEOTs of tomorrow. Specifically created for electrification, they offer major differences in terms of architecture which the designers leveraged to completely reshape the PEUGEOT INCEPTION CONCEPT’s passenger compartment. They have created a new driving posture and a new on-board experience for passengers.

A FELINE LOOK FOR A NEW DESIGN LANGUAGE

At first glance, a PEUGEOT is recognisable by its feline stance. The brand’s genes are there, but the codes have been reinterpreted for the new era that is beginning today. This new design language will be introduced on the next PEUGEOT from 2025. It is simpler and more refined. It has a finish and textures worthy of the digital world. This new design switches between sensual lines and athletic curves, more geometric and sharper, such as the horizontal wing shoulders.

The challenge of the PEUGEOT INCEPTION CONCEPT design lies in the contrast between a dynamic profile – for a feline stance – and a passenger compartment designed as a glass capsule that plunges to the front of the driver and front passenger’s feet.

Seen from the side, the design still has the PEUGEOT codes of a sleek, elegant saloon, while in a bird’s-eye view, it guides us into the near future, that of electric cars designed on dedicated platforms. The magic of the PEUGEOT INCEPTION CONCEPT lies in a perfectly seamless transition between the exterior and interior design, thanks in particular to its exclusive glazing.

Already more than 9 million i-Cockpit® on the road. This new cockpit architecture with its ergonomic innovations was revealed by the first-generation PEUGEOT 208 ten years ago. Today, the PEUGEOT INCEPTION CONCEPT reinvents it by drawing on validated futuristic technologies. The designers have gone for a completely new architecture, removing the steering wheel and the classic switchgears. Born digital and inspired by video games, the Hypersquare control system takes the i-Cockpit® concept invented by PEUGEOT into the near future.

A NEW GENERATION OF i-COCKPIT

With its new Hypersquare control system, the PEUGEOT INCEPTION CONCEPT offers enhanced on-board sensations thanks to an agile driving experience and an all-new, more intuitive i-Cockpit®. With the touch of a fingertip, you control all driving parameters and steer-by-wire technology makes driving more instinctive and simpler, like a video game but in real life. The ultimate ergonomics of the Hypersquare, which replaces the classic steering wheel, creates a new, natural, simpler and safer way of driving. New movements for new driving pleasures, providing an unequalled comfort in driving.

The Hypersquare with digital electric controls consists of a screen with circular cells in each of its four corners which have several functions:

  • The completely natural and universal grip of the steering control,
  • Fingertip driving comfort,
  • Activation of the vehicle’s controls by pressing with the thumb.

Similar movements to how we use our smartphones. The intuitive aspect creates a high level of safety.

The centre of the Hypersquare is a tablet-type screen dedicated to the distribution of control information. The pictograms for the different features (air conditioning, radio volume, ADAS, etc.) are displayed on the two side panels to facilitate access to the chosen control. The latter is located inside the circular recesses and can be accessed by moving the thumb only, without taking your hands off the steering control. For even more driving comfort, the rim of the Hypersquare is made from 3D printing, while in its centre, the digital glass screen provides a high-tech appearance.

The next generation i-Cockpit includes the Stellantis STLA Smart Cockpit technology platform.

HYPERSQUARE COMBINED WITH HALO CLUSTER

The Hypersquare control system is combined with a flexible screen in the background that displays driving or infotainment information at 360°. This HALO CLUSTER, with its circular display, informs passengers approaching the car. This external communication reinforces the concept of sharing and a new automotive vision.

During the transition to the L4 level of driving delegation (STLA AutoDrive), the HYPERSQUARE retracts and a large panoramic screen slides out from the floor to offer a new passenger compartment experience.

PEUGEOT’s goal is to introduce the Hypersquare on a next generation vehicle in the range before the end of the decade.

STEER-BY-WIRE

Prior to the development of the PEUGEOT INCEPTION CONCEPT, the Brand tested and integrated the Steer-by-Wire technology in order to develop this innovation and push the markers of driving ease, safety and reliability for regulated use. The physical steering column disappears, showcasing the new architecture on board the PEUGEOT INCEPTION CONCEPT.

EMOTION – NEW DRIVING EXPERIENCE, HEIGHTENED SENSATIONS AND MORE COMFORT

The PEUGEOT INCEPTION CONCEPT offers a new vision of the interior for a grand tourer, and creates new, more elongated seating positions, in line with the new “BEV-by-design” architecture dedicated to electric vehicles. The high beltline acts as a soothing safety brace. Row 1 looks forward and offers an exceptional view of the road.

The second row has a better view of the outside world, thanks to the generous glass surfaces and the new seat proportions. The glass fronts on the back of the front seats give row 2 occupants their own atmosphere and settings zone. Every material in the cabin has been treated for their reflections. This means that the colour of the interior of the PEUGEOT INCEPTION CONCEPT changes according to the environment in which it is being driven and varies according to the light. On board, space, comfort and emotion are heightened.

EXCELLENCE IN MATERIALS WITH RENEWED DURABILITY

Transforming PEUGEOT into an electric brand means more than just putting batteries and electric engines in our cars. The interior of the PEUGEOT INCEPTION CONCEPT is the result of advanced research into the profound transformation of the on-board experience. Here, black has been completely shunned in favour of new atmospheres created by the combination of light filtered by multi-chrome glass and materials with relatively neutral metallic tones, which can change the atmosphere of the passenger compartment simply by playing with reflections. PEUGEOT INCEPTION Concept is a showcase of the new techniques we will roll out to reduce our carbon footprint by more than 50% by 2030 in Europe and become fully Carbon Net Zero by 2038.