Peugeot introduced a new concept car that blends both autonomous and traditional driven modes in a package that senses the wishes of the driver and reacts accordingly. Unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show, Peugeot says this one-off is based on a single philosophy: freedom: Freedom of movement, and choice on whether to drive or be driven.
The futuristic Instinct is a shooting brake design that incorporates the long roof of a station wagon with muscular, sporty body contours set off with large flared wheel arches. Coach-style rear-hinged back doors and the absence of a B pillar allow easy access to the 4-passenger cabin. Peugeot says the Instinct boasts a 300-horsepower plug-in hybrid drive system.
Also: Class of 2018 – New Cars Ready to Roll
Four mode driving
There are four drive modes for the Instinct concept. Two are active driving modes, Drive Boost or Drive Relax, and two autonomous modes, Autonomous Sharp or Autonomous Soft. In addition to providing dynamic feedback in the Boost and Sharp modes, or a more refined ride in the Relax or Soft settings, the cabin also configures the seating position, interface settings and even ambient lighting to reflect the chosen mode. While the car can operate in autonomously, the driver can retake control of the vehicle at any time with a tap on the i-Device controller positioned to the left of the 9.7-inch center screen.
According to Peugeot, the Instinct name also refers to its ability to learn from both the environment it is travelling through and the passengers in the car. Using the Samsung Artik Cloud, the car learns to connect devices the driver and passengers use every day and allows the occupants, when not driving, to watch videos, stream audio and use other connected devices.
Also: Check out all of the new vehicles from the Geneva Auto Show
Called the Responsive i-Cockpit, this design provides each passenger their own individual space with seats that have multiple adjustments including full horizontal. Passengers communicate with the car via chatbot, a speech-driven personal assistant offering a wide range of services.
“The self-driving car opens up new avenues for creativity, responding to new uses,” said Matthias Hossann, head of Peugeot concept cars. “We are creating new forms of driving pleasure. These may come from the interfaces, the architecture or the styling. There is no reason why a self-driving car should be dull to look at or to experience.”
