You want to know what the new Peugeot 208 will look like? Well, check this out: this is the new Peugeot Polygon concept and it gives us a glimpse of the tech and design that will feature on Peugeot’s next-generation 208.
I don’t know about you, but I think it looks absolutely brilliant.
I went out to talk to the Peugeot execs and have a look around the Polygon concept car, and I reckon this is the coolest concept car I’ve seen in a long time. Not only because the brand really does intend to bring a lot of the features that you see here – even some of the really outlandish ones – to the new 2027 Peugeot 208.
Here are the aspects of the radical new Peugeot Polygon concept that will make next generation Peugeot E-208.
The Hypersquare steering wheel
Peugeot actually started the Polygon concept by designing the ‘Hypersquare’ steering wheel, and everything else followed after that. This square steering wheel, with the four holes set within it, will definitely appear on the new 208. Oh, and it’ll get normal indicator stalks, as well as paddles for the brake regen’. Which is a relief!
In fact, Peugeot CEO Alain Favey told Electrifying.com that “it is our intention to get Hypersquare in every Peugeot in the future”. Mind you, Favey also said that it was still a little uncertain how the wheel will be offered, but it’ll most likely be as an option or on a specific, high-end trim level of the 208 – at first, anyway.
It’s not just about the shape of the steering wheel, either. The Hypersquare steering wheel comes with steering-by-wire, which means that there’s no mechanical connection between the front wheels and the steering wheel. Instead, it uses an electrical connection, and it allows for variable steering response and will deliver much sharper steering angle for less input at the steering wheel. So, for instance, you’ll only need a quarter turn of the steering wheel to go around a roundabout!
Don’t worry about safety, though. The steering-by-wire system has been tested to all the same safety and crash test standards as any new steering setup under EU legislation. It actually has all of the components duplicated twice, delivering a complete backup system if the first steering system fails.
There are even two 12V batteries, both of which are backed up by the car’s high voltage battery system, so that you’re never going to run out of electrical charge to keep your steering working!
The funky LED lighting
That LED lighting on the outside of the Polygon concept will definitely come to the new Peugeot E-208 in some fashion. Matthias Hossan, Peugeot brand design director, explained that “the three-claw lighting being horizontal like this works well, because it gives some vibes of the design on heritage models like the 205, but is also really futuristic. This [the Polygon concept] isn’t a retro design, but it has a lot of trademark cues that play on Peugeot’s heritage.”
Hossan also pointed out the LED charging display on the rear three-quarter of the concept car, which will likely translate to the production Peugeot 208 in a simpler format. “It’s actually a really useful feature on an EV, so that others can easily see how much charge the car has and how much longer it may be using the charger.”
The huge rear LED light bar won’t make it to production, so I’m afraid you won’t be able to type out messages to drivers following you… But it is very possible that certain versions of the Peugeot 208 will get configurable rear lighting – where you can choose which jazzy light display you’d like to play when you unlock or lock the car.
The ‘monofoam’ seats
The seats in the Polygon concept are a really clever feature. I was surprised by how comfortable they felt when I sat in them. They’re literally cut from a single piece of recycled foam, and then fitted to the movable plastic frame. It doesn’t just cut the cost of production and increase the amount of recycled (and recyclable) material in the interior, but it means that you can potentially have a very affordable choice of seats. For instance, you could choose whether you want the really soft and cushy seat, or a firmer and more supportive seat. It also gives a huge range of possibilities when it comes to colour choices and personalisation – another big feature of the Peugeot.
No touchscreens!
It’s a radical departure, in an industry that has been awash with touchscreens for many years now, but Peugeot’s design boss is clear that the brand would like to see less of them. “For now, legislation means that we have to include a touchscreen or at least some form of direct control for the car’s functions,” explained Hossan. “But we don’t want to see loads of screens in our cars. The windscreen is all of the screen that you need, and with voice control and AI evolving so quickly, it’s possible that in the future we could have all of the car’s information just on the windscreen.”
This idea is demonstrated brilliantly in the Peugeot Polygon concept, which has a huge head-up display (HUD) behind the steering wheel that runs almost the full height of the windscreen, in front of the driver. The idea is that you could control this using the steering wheel controls and voice control alone, to show your speed, your nav, your multimedia… everything. As with the Hypersquare tech, it’s a fairly radical idea. But we will see more use of HUD in future Peugeots, and less reliance on touchscreens.
What about the range and price of the next Peugeot 208?
That's all a way off being confirmed, yet! But Alain Favey, Peugeot's CEO, did tell us that "it will have to have at least the same range as the current 208, but people are also becoming more used to electric cars and the range that they need, so it wouldn't make sense for the 208 to have really long range".
In short, that means we can expect the new E-208 to offer around 250 miles of electric range or more. Pricing won't be confirmed for years, yet, but it will have to be competitive with newer rivals like the Renault 5. Oh, and don't expect gullwing doors on the 208, either...
Don't expect gullwing doors on the next Peugeot 208! 
