The next-generation Peugeot 208, set to be the brand’s first car to feature a steer-by-wire system, has been previewed by the new 205-inspired Polygon concept.
Measuring just under four metres long, the Polygon is so named because it has a rectangular steering wheel, which is key to the next iteration of Peugeot’s signature i-Cockpit dashboard design.
This steering ‘wheel’ is not physically linked to the front wheels mechanically but instead uses electronic connections to transmit the driver’s inputs to the steered wheels.
This frees up space to completely reinvent the topology of the dashboard: the wheel is set high on the dashboard and there is no traditional instrument binnacle.
Instead, information is projected from inside the dashboard onto the Polygon’s windscreen, giving a display space equivalent to a 31in touchscreen.
The steering wheel’s narrow profile means it does not obstruct the driver’s view of this projection. The climate control system is displayed on a small screen atop the iDrive-style dial controller on the centre console.
At low speeds the steer-by-wire reaches full lock when the steering wheel is rotated by just 170deg in one direction, so going from lock to lock will require only one full rotation of the wheel, rather than three, as in the current 208.
Peugeot says the steering’s quickness provides a sense of “hyper-agility”, with the rack automatically slowing its rate of response at higher speeds for greater stability.
This will be key to the dynamic identity of the brand going forward, CEO Alain Favey previously told Autocar.
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You say 208 concept Car I say a couple of hours in the Photoshop suite.