The Inception concept is Peugeot’s vision for the future of electric vehicles

As with the other brands at Stellantis, Peugeot’s future will be dominated by electric vehicles. The French automaker is working on five new electric vehicles to be launched over the next two years and expects its full range in Europe to be electric by the end of the decade.

As a preview of what’s to come after 2025, Peugeot unveiled the Inception concept during CES 2023 last week. The concept is a large four-door sedan with design details shared with Peugeot’s 2022 9X8 LMH endurance racer. Peugeot describes the three vertical bars that form the headlights on both vehicles as the claw motif.

The concept is based on the STLA Large platform, one of four modular designs that will fully underpin future Stellantis electric vehicles. The platform is the same used by the Dodge Charger Daytona, a concept that previews Dodge’s first electric vehicle in 2024. The platform is designed for medium and large premium cars and is said to be able to offer a range of over 500 miles. The Inception spans approximately 16.4 feet in length.

For its concept, Peugeot opted for a 100 kWh battery, which is said to offer a range of 497 miles. Propulsion comes from a twin-engine, all-wheel-drive drivetrain rated at 680 horsepower, or enough for 0-62 mph acceleration in under three seconds. High-speed charging, enabled by an 800-volt electrical system, means around 93 miles of range can be added in just five minutes.

Peugeot said the concept’s interior also hints at elements destined for its future EVs. Of particular note is the square steering wheel, which has its own touchscreen interface to control important functions such as climate settings, audio settings and electronic driver assistance functions. Peugeot said the concept includes a version of Stellantis’ forthcoming STLA AutoDrive driver assistance platform capable of Level 4 self-driving capabilities based on the SAE scale. This level means that the concept can handle driving tasks for longer periods of time, but only under certain conditions.

Although the Inception was introduced in the US, there are no plans for Peugeot to reintroduce it here. There was a plan to reintroduce Peugeot in the US around 2025, but the plan was dropped in 2021 following the merger of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and France’s PSA group to form Stellantis.