Peugeot’s Instinct concept car has active driving and autonomous modes

Some concept cars aren’t really cars and stop at the concept part. But Peugeot’s new Instinct concept car has a couple of interesting ideas. In particular, the interior will change depending on the driving mode (active driving or self-driving). Peugeot unveiled the car at MWC today in Barcelona.

I generally hate concept cars are they are mostly unimplementable designs that won’t ever make their way to a commercial car. But sometimes, just sometimes, there are a few ideas that could be useful in future models.

Peugeot’s concept car is a self-driving car at heart. The wheel and pedals automatically fold, and you can instantly switch from self-driving mode to active driving mode.

But the company is going one step further by implementing four different modes — two active driving modes (Drive Boost or Drive Relax) and two self-driving modes (Autonomous Sharp or Autonomous Soft). Peugeot is using touch screens for the cockpit.

Depending on the mode, the seats are going to change so that you can sit more comfortably if you’re not driving for instance. The light, atmosphere and sound also adapt to the mode. Finally, Autonomous Soft is all about providing a smooth ride so you can take a nap. Autonomous Sharp favors the quickest route.

[gallery ids="1457627,1457625,1457624,1457622,1457621,1457620"]

Also worth noting, Peugeot’s concept car connects to the internet and works with Samsung Artik Cloud. This way, you can communicate with your car from your Samsung Artik Cloud-enabled devices, and the car can adjust its settings depending on your other devices. For instance, if you went running, the car could start with the Autonomous Soft mode pre-selected as you’re probably tired.

Of course you won’t see a car like this on the road any time soon. But if you consider that this concept car is a very expensive brainstorming session, the driving modes are a neat idea that Peugeot should remember in the years to come.

[gallery ids="1457631,1457629,1457628,1457630,1457618,1457617,1457616,1457615,1457614,1457613"]