Peugeot will preview the next 208 in November with a new concept called Polygon – and it's set to feature a square steering wheel that will be taken into production.
The concept will showcase the third generation of Peugeot's best-selling car and is expected to focus heavily on the future of the French brand’s interiors.
It will feature what is expected to be a near-production version of Peugeot’s rectangular Hypersquare steering wheel. The radical design was first previewed on the Inception concept of 2023.
The Hypersquare will use a steer-by-wire system – marking the first time a Stellantis car has used the technology.
Peugeot CEO Alain Favey said this will be “the next step in the saga of i-Cockpit”, Peugeot’s distinct interior design that utilises a small steering wheel set well below the instruments.
The new set-up – which is expected to be adopted across the range after its introduction in the 208 – is “about agility” and will give future Peugeots a unique driving feel, said Favey.
He added that the Polygon will feature a 21in 'floating' display, which is likely to be the same curved infotainment unit as in the 3008, suggesting the concept’s interior will be near production specification.
Little else is known about the Polygon, but Favey said “designers have worked with a lot of very, very creative ideas”, suggesting it could sport quite a conceptual look.
This would follow a similar vein to the Vauxhall Corsa GSE Vision Gran Turismo – the 789bhp sporty electric concept revealed in August that previews the next generation of the 208’s Corsa twin.
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The tiller on steam powered horseless carriages worked well enough but people will try to keep improving things.
I think the point here is that steer by wire can be designed to read the road and speed and adjust it's ratio to make turning the wheel more than half a turn unnecessary. I look forwards to the future with excitement.
Meanwhile, the slightly square wheel in my megane etech is actually nice to hold and i don't give its shape a second thought....
What's wrong with the round steering wheel?, is a near square wheel just somewhere to put more buttons which most of us won't need or use.
First of all, if car manufacturers insist on continuing to install non-round steering "wheels", we'll need to come up with a new term. :-)
More to the point, though, having driven cars with non-round steering 'wheels', I can honestly say that I hate them. They're not comfortable on longer trips, and in emergencies they're not intuitive as the 'wheel' is not always where you expect it to be.
They look cool in the showroom, though.