Peugeot boss reveals secret weapon to beat Chinese car makers: new tech

Peugeot plans to fight back against the Chinese car makers making inroads in Europe by injecting more tech into its cars, starting with its next-generation i-Cockpit introducing ultra-responsive ‘digital’ steering.

Alain Favey has been leading Peugeot for nine months, and his new Polygon concept car shows the brand’s future direction. Unveiled a few weeks ago, the ideas-car reveals the modernist styling that previews the next 208 and the ‘hypersquare’ digital steering that will control it.

Hypersquare is ‘steer-by-wire’. That eliminates the mechanical link between the steering wheel and the front wheels, replacing it with software that reads your inputs, the car’s speed and the driving scenario, turning that information into digital impulses acting on the steering rack motor. 

As a result, a driver’s inputs can be magnified so that a little turn of the ‘hypersquare’ steering wheel results in lots of lock for super-manoeuvrable parking, or this variable ratio can be lessened at high speed to enhance stability. It also reduces vibrations and kickback.

“Not only can we match the Chinese, we can do things that they don’t,” vows Favey. “[Chinese cars have] a lot of technology, but where is the difference in terms of design and driving sensations? There are a number of things in Polygon you might not find in a Chinese car. I think hypersquare would be too extravagant, too daring, in a [small] car from a Chinese brand.”

Steer-by-wire is currently a rare technology – standard on a Tesla Cybertruck, the Rolls-Royce Spectre and high-end Lexus RZs – but Peugeot plans to “democratise” hypersquare by making it widely available on the forthcoming 208 supermini and its 2008 SUV sibling. Favey likens it to the introduction of the Peugeot 206CC, the folding hard-top which took Mercedes-Benz technology, popularised it with 370,000 sales from the year 2000, and caused a convertible stampede as other car makers followed suit.

Favey admits Peugeot’s sister brands are free to offer steer-by-wire but adds “the way the steering wheel looks is not going to be copied by any other brand”.

Removing the physical steering column brings another big benefit: Peugeot should be able to redesign the dashboard to free up more space in the 208’s cabin, unlocking the virtuous circle of minimising vehicle growth and weight to boost electric range.     

Manage decline? The ultimate goal is to grow in Europe

Under Favey, Peugeot has a goal to grow its European share from under six to seven per cent of the market. And that’s in spite of Chinese brands’ growth: this year BYD’s continental registrations have soared by more than 100,000 units, MG’s tally tops 250,000 cars and one in 10 British registrations is for a Chinese brand. 

But Peugeot’s 58-year-old CEO is unruffled. “I'm not here to talk down the Chinese brands. I’m very respectful and I think they do a great job in terms of time to market, price and design. But… which of the brands stand out? We’re trying to stand out.”

New Peugeot GTIs, better quality and next-level design are the building blocks of Favey’s push, along with new models starting with the revamped 208 and 2008. Today Peugeot is the Stellantis group’s biggest brand in Europe but it ranks seventh in terms of overall volume, lagging peers Renault, Skoda, Toyota and top dog VW. 

But Alain Favey is very clear about his plan to grow the brand.

“We’ll need new cars on new platforms just to keep track with the competition. And to keep pace with technology we’ll probably need new electrified engines. And we’re going to refine what we’re doing with hypersquare and i-Cockpit, along with [bringing] new ideas for interior space. [All this] will make the brand more attractive and convince more people to buy it,” he vows.

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