Peugeot’s new concept heralds a major shift for the Lion brand.
It was expected at the Mondial de l’Auto in Paris, but it was in Las Vegas that Peugeot chose to do the show. The French brand took advantage of CES to unveil Inception, a major concept car since it marks both the arrival of a new technical platform and a new aesthetic touch.
Let’s start with the design. Inception is a large sedan 5 meters long with a very sporty appearance, but which stands out quite clearly from the brand’s latest productions. And for good reason, this style study is supposed to mark the change of manager at the head of the Design team, Gilles Vidal having left the Lion in 2020 for Renault and Mathias Hossan having replaced him. It is therefore a question of giving a new tone to the brand without, however, the break being too significant. Thus, if we are surprised by the huge windshield plunging into the hood, we find one of Peugeot’s totems in recent years: the optical signature in the shape of a claw. It evolves all the same, being particularly fine on the concept.
The rear, on the other hand, marks a big change. Bevelled as desired, it contrasts with the front face, leaving the optics to take up considerable space. Inside, it is a follow-up to the current i-Cockpit so popular with the brand’s customers. On the Inception, the command post takes the name of Hypersquare and revolves around a rectangular steering wheel which is nothing more than a screen with holes at its four ends. As for the instrumentation screen, this is also a very conceptual accessory reminiscent of a compass, but which should be much more down-to-earth in its standard version.
An electric-oriented design
What Inception wants to embody, in addition to a certain idea of design, is the brand’s definitive transition to 100% electric. Thus, the passenger compartment takes great care to leave large spaces for passengers, indicating at the same time that it is no longer constrained by the thermal platforms which require, for example, a place for the transmission tunnel.
On the technical side, Inception is the first evocation of the STLA Large platform, the new working base for the brands of the Stellantis group (PSA, Citroën, Fiat, Opel, etc.). For the moment its motorization and its battery are indicative, but they give an idea of the potential of the platform. Indeed, the Inception has two motors, one per axle, accumulating 500 kW of power (680 hp) which it combines with a large 100 kWh battery allowing it to travel 800 km on a single charge. Of course, Inception is only a concept and should still evolve a lot before its commercial version, but it sets the tone for what will be electric at Peugeot from 2025.
Peugeot
