You might have heard of it as the online computer game that’s all the rage among the kids – and made the floss a dance craze back in 2017 – but now carmakers are using Fortnite to launch their new cars.
Well sort of – Peugeot has revealed its latest concept car on its own island in the online multiplayer game. The island is named after the Polygon concept and takes the shape of the car’s "Hypersquare" steering wheel, featuring steer by wire tech that will appear on upcoming Peugeots.
In fact the whole car is a glimpse at what future Peugeots will look like – still aggressive, but the vertical ‘cat claw’ marks that feature on the cars seem set to be replaced by a more gentle side swipe. Perhaps the Peugeot lion is feeling a bit snoozy.
Classic 205 fans will recognise the signature ‘pepper pot’ alloy wheels and lozenge design feature on the rear pillar that appeared on the three-door and cabriolet versions. Plus there’s more than a little Eighties hot hatch in the way that the Polygon sits on the ground. So while the likes of Renault plunder the back catalogue for retro inspiration, could Peugeot entice us with a next-generation e-208 that looks forward as much as backward?
Alain Favey, Peugeot CEO, describes the Polygon as "the future of driving pleasure", so that's something to look forward. The current version of the e-208 has been on sale since 2019, so we can expect a replacement model within the next few years that could see the design cues from the Polygon concept feature heavily.
Peugeot's design chief Matthias Hossan says that the interior of the Polygon "completely reinvents" the interior of Peugeots – not just with the innovative steering, but also with the use of a head-up display that displays all of the dashboard and infotainment information on the windscreen rather than on big displays inside the car, freeing up space. You can also swap out parts of the interior like the seat fabrics depending on your mood, or if someone's thrown up on them perhaps.
In the meantime, while we wait for the Polygon to be translated into production reality we’re excited about the return of the GTI badge to the Peugeot range. Check out Nicola's video below from the reveal of the e-208 GTI (check out those wheels) and read everything we know so far about the electric hot hatch.
