Peugeot Instinct concept is one of the glamorous hybrid autonomous cars till date

The usual pattern for carmakers goes like this: They unveil a striking concept at famous car shows like Detroit, Geneva or Paris. Car lovers will praise the sheer beauty of the concepts. After a short span of time, carmakers launch a rather boring, trimmed down version of the concept, citing 'practical' reasons. Let's hope Peugeot's newly unveiled Instinct concept will not meet same fate.

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Peugeot Instinct concept is one of the sexiest avatars an autonomous hybrid car can have. According to the company, the theme behind the development of the Instinct concept is freedom. "A Peugeot that offers something different, that has its own vibe. Our customers can vouch for this, the success of the new Peugeot 3008 proves it, and the same will be true of the self-driving car in the future. That vibe has a name – freedom," says Jean-Philippe Imparato, CEO of the French outfit.

The concept is more than just a pretty face. The concept underlines the design direction of Peugeot as well as company's autonomous intentions for the first time. It is a family-sized four-seat shooting brake. It sports cameras instead of conventional mirrors. Extra cameras mounted within the LED headlights will scan the road up front and it will send information to concept's safety and assistance systems.

The Instinct is powered by a 297bhp plug-in hybrid system, based around a petrol engine and driving all four wheels. The Instinct concept offers four driving modes- two active driving modes (drive boost or drive relax) and two self-driving modes (autonomous sharp or autonomous soft).

The concept features a functional on-board I.o.T (Internet of Things) platform powered by Samsung Artik Cloud connecting the car with the user's cloud. Peugeot is the first brand to collaborate with the Korean electronics giant on Artik Cloud integration. The vehicle integrates the data that the user wants to share with it from their smartphone, smartwatch or home automation systems.

In line with the sleek exterior, the Instinct's interior boasts of an elite inlay. Peugeot calls the interior architecture as Responsive i-Cockpit. What it packs are compact steering wheel and the panel housing toggle switches folding into the dashboard. The i-Device sits next to the 9.7-inch screen on the central console and can be used to command the car at any time. In addition, passengers can communicate with the car via a chatbot, a speech-driven offering with an array of services. For example, you can command the system to book cinema seats or buy online.

The Instinct will be displayed at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona until March 2 and then it will be showcased at Peugeot's hall at Geneva Motor Show starting on March 9.