Peugeot Reveals the Future with the Inception Concept

Peugeot has revealed its sleek yet very angular Inception concept vehicle at CES 2023. The automotive manufacturer describes the eye-catching look as a ‘simpler and more refined design language’ which the company intends to introduce in 2025. The Peugeot Inception certainly has a unique look that manages to combine the retro feel of the DeLorean with more modern space-age design concepts.

The Inception showcases the new STLA large platform which will be introduced in 2023, and as such it is quite a hefty beast itself at around 5 metres in length. The extra length (as well as a height of 1.34m) also allows the company’s design gurus to use some very angular approaches whilst also having enough length so that the design isn’t too ‘tight’ and flows, giving a sense of speed. Although the Inception will likely prove to be the future inspiration for much smaller Peugeot vehicles as well.

Aside from what may be a polarising design (I love it) one of the most exciting things that Peugeot is offering with the Inception is 800-volt technology which helps to give the concept around 670bhp and a fair bit of torque, as well as a claimed 0-62mph of just under 3 seconds. Inside is a 100kWh battery powering two electric motors that Peugeot says will offer 497 miles of range. The Inception electric motors are located on the rear axle (giving AWD) and on the front axle.

As battery technology continues to advance and becomes more efficient, the usual EV hesitation from the public due to fears of range not being good enough are sure to dissipate. A near 500-mile range in a country the size of the UK is certainly very good. In an emergency, the new Peugeot platform allows fast charging offering quick access to up to 18 miles of range from just 1 minute and 93 miles from just 5 minutes of charging.

The cabin has an airy feel thanks to the ingenious use of glass, the total of which adds up to 7.25m2. This is smart glazing designed for architecture as well as offering great visibility all round and retaining good thermal properties. The glass features a multi-chrome (metal oxide) treatment, similar to that which is used by NASA on space helmets. The glass can also be tinted according to the external environment.

Inside, the Peugeot Inception features the i-Cockpit which is inspired by video gaming. It gets a little more outlandish from here, with a conventional steering wheel being disposed of in favour of steer-by-wire tech and digital electronic controls courtesy of Hypersquare. Within the i-Cockpit architecture, Stellantis STLA SmartCockpit is also able to be implemented along with STLA AutoDrive offering Level 4 autonomous driving. Level 4 offers the capability of fully autonomous driving, while the driver is still able to override this and take back full control at any time.

Hypersquare is essentially a rectangular steering device of the likes we’ve not really seen before outside of science fiction. It has 4 circular touch-sensitive interactive elements with digital controls within each. While this is of course a daunting thing on first viewing (imagine taking a car out of the showroom with Hypersquare for the first time), the idea is that the driver doesn’t need to remove his hands from the steering device to carry out various different functions, like adjusting air-con for example. Hypersquare isn’t as far away as you might think (or maybe hope!) as Peugeot says that it plans to introduce the tech from 2026. The way technology has been implemented in the Inception also allows for a lower dashboard and better views over the bonnet.

These are exciting times for the development of technology for many manufacturers, and Peugeot has certainly grabbed some attention with the Inception concept at the Consumer Electronics Show this year.

Images: stellantis.com