Peugeot may not have new cars to be shown at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show – its latest vehicles, the 3008 and 5008, already made their debuts at the Paris show last year – but it is storming the Palexpo with yet another extravagant show car. The Peugeot Instinct concept is designed around the idea of freedom and uses autonomous driving and cloud computing to give the driver exactly that.
On the outset, the Instinct is simply a wagon, albeit one that is low and wide, with a road-hugging stance. At the front, the LED headlights feature light guides that plunge all the way down, while cameras at the centre of each unit – which feed information to the driving assistance systems – are said to mimic the look of a pupil. The massive grille consists of several parallel lines, with the lion badge stamped on top.
Along the sides, the generous rear haunches is said to hint at the performance from the 300 hp plug-in hybrid powertrain. A full-width light strip features at the rear, carrying Peugeot’s signature triple claw design when not fully lit. Air curtains at the front and rear improve aerodynamics, working in concert with the aluminium wheels – the latter have grooves cut into them to reduce weight.
Inside, the Instinct adopts what Peugeot calls a Responsive i-Cockpit architecture, which adapts itself depending on the drive mode. In autonomous mode, the steering wheel and pedals fold out of the way, but the driver can still use the i-Device next to the 9.7-inch centre screen to control the car, such as instructing it to overtake the car in front.
At the front of the cabin sits a holographic cluster display that shows vehicle operating information during manual driving, and journey information in autonomous mode. Elsewhere, the seat cushions slide along a fixed aluminium base, so they pivot into a horizontal position if the occupant wants to rest, upright to drive or somewhere in between to work or to watch a movie.
The cabin features a unique mix of materials, such as a thin concrete layer for the flooring and a 3D mesh on the seats to fit and support the body – the latter is repeated on the side panels of the centre console, the door panels, the seat bases and seat backs. The headrest is lined with mesh and leather.
The Instinct is connected to Samsung’s Artik Cloud, enabling it to use deep learning to establish a user profile via devices such as a smartphone or smartwatch, and even items at home such as a smart TV or a PC. From there, it will provide suggestions such as when to leave for work and even where to park so that the owner can walk to the office to stay fit, and can configure the interior settings and drive mode to suit the mood.
There are four drive modes to choose from – Drive Boost for manual driving, Drive Relax with driving assists such as active cruise control and auto high beam, Autonomous Sharp that optimises journey times with “precise, efficient road handling” and Autonomous Soft that provides a more comfortable ride.
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Jeremy Clarkson dedicated one whole episode on how low quality and junk status Peugeot cars are. One should download this torrent episode of Top Gear before he or she buys a Peugeot
This instinct is not basic. Very futuristic indeed