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The PSA Group used this year's Geneva motor show as the platform to announce its plans to deliver a fully autonomous car by 2030, with a vehicle capable of driving itself on motorways set to be introduced within the next four years.
Providing a glimpse of what the future has in store at the show, the firm, which currently consists of Peugeot, Citroen and DS, unveiled its Instinct Concept, a car that offers the option of fully autonomous driving.
David Peel, managing director at Peugeot UK, commented: "Our offering at Geneva this year is a statement of intent. We are especially excited to demonstrate our latest range of future-proof models and concepts, including the Instinct Concept, a truly unique proposition demonstrating that the autonomous future is happening now and Peugeot is right at the head of the game."
The first of three waves for autonomous technology started with the launch of the Peugeot 3008, this year's World Car of the Year, which incorporates key equipment like adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist and advanced emergency braking to offer elements of autonomy to drivers.
The second wave will be introduced in the new DS 7 Crossback, also revealed at this year's show, which will feature a number of innovations when it goes on sale at the end of the year. New systems include night vision, an advanced version of traffic jam assist where the car will be able to drive itself in congestion, and an in-car camera which will monitor the driver's behaviour behind the wheel and intervene if assistance is needed.
Meanwhile, level two systems will still require the driver to have their hands on the steering wheel to work, though. "I think by 2025-2030 we will have our first real autonomous car on the road and between now and 2020 we will be testing our cars with new technology," Laurent Blanchet, head of product development at PSA, told BusinessCar. "The aim is to be fully autonomous, but there are legislation hurdles to overcome and prices need to come down, otherwise it'll be very expensive."
These wave-two features are also set to be included on high-spec'd Peugeot cars later in 2018, and among the benefits for fleets will be the added safety and productivity they deliver, something the firm is keen to communicate.
"We talk about the features but don't talk enough about why we are doing it, which is very important to understand," said Gilles Le Borgne, director of research and development at the PSA Group. "We will reduce the number of fatalities on UK roads, and day-to-day life and commuting can also become more productive as this technology can give you back time."
According to Le Borgne, wave three of the technology could come by the end of 2020 and will enable the car to drive autonomously at certain points, like on the motorway and possibly on B roads too, leaving the driver to sit back and work or read a book while the car drives itself.
Legislative approval is still needed before wave three can be implemented on roads and Le Borgne was keen to point out that it's a little early to be talking about it in any great detail as there are a number of obstacles that need to be overcome.
"How the car reacts to animals in the road and adapts to road markings on B roads is yet to be worked out, but we're confident the technology will be usable on most roads" he told BusinessCar.
Wave three will likely to be seen first in the next-generation Peugeot 308 and DS 4 but pricing still needs to be worked out as bosses are keen to keep it competitive. As it stands now, wave three would add around £1,800 to the price of the car.
"The business case for these features is not that obvious. As soon as you are at level three you have to add a lot more money onto the car," said Le Borgne. "Wave-two features add just a few hundred Euros, but for wave three we are adding around ?2,000 for the technology. We have to work closely with marketing people. I'm sure many people will be willing to pay as it currently stands, though."
Education will be key and the firm believes more needs to be done to showcase the current systems in cars so that customers are ready to adopt the new, more advanced features when they arrive.
"It's a question of confidence," said Blanchet. "The road is quite long because you have to change the mentality of people. It could last the next five, six or seven years. It won't be tomorrow."
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