Inception Concept is Peugeot's vision of the EV future

Like the rest of the Sterantis brand, Peugeot's future will be dominated by electric vehicles. The French automaker is working on five new EVs to be launched over the next two years, and by the end of the decade, its full European lineup will consist of EVs.

As a preview of 2025 and beyond, Peugeot unveiled its Inception concept at the 2023 CES last week. The concept is a large four-door sedan that shares design details with Peugeot's 2022 9X8 LMH endurance race car. The three vertical bar headlights on both cars form what Peugeot calls a claw motif.

The concept is based on the STLA large platform, one of four modular designs that will fully support Sterantis' future EVs. This platform is the same one used by the Dodge Charger Daytona, a concept that heralds Dodge's first EV to be introduced in 2024. The platform is designed for premium midsize and large vehicles and is claimed to have a range of over 500 miles. The Inception is approximately 16.4 feet long.

For its concept, Peugeot employed a 100 kwh battery that is claimed to provide a range of 497 miles (presumably on the more generous WLTP cycle). Driving the car is a 680 hp dual-motor all-wheel-drive powertrain sufficient for 0-62 mph acceleration in less than 3 seconds; fast charging via an 800-volt electric system can add about 93 miles of range in just 5 minutes.

Peugeot said the concept car's interior also hints at elements for future EVs. In particular, the rectangular steering wheel features a unique touchscreen surface for controlling key functions such as climate settings, audio settings, and electronic driver assistance features. According to Peugeot, the concept is powered by Sterantis' STLA AutoDrive driver-assist platform, which is capable of Level 4 automatic driving based on the SAE scale. This level means that the concept can handle extended driving tasks only under certain conditions.

Although Inception was unveiled in the U.S., there are no plans to reintroduce Peugeot to the U.S. around 2025, as Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and the French PSA Group merged to form Sterantis, 2021, the plan was cancelled.