Reinventing the i-Cockpit concept that first appeared on the PEUGEOT 208 in 2012, before winning over more than 10 million motorists worldwide, is the challenge that this new generation, christened Panoramic i-Cockpit© and inaugurated on the new E-3008, must take up!

It may look simple, a levitating slab, but it represented a major challenge, continues Yann Beurel. His colleague Didier Aufort, in charge of Convergence and interior styling for the new E-3008, explains: "The use of extremely light and rigid materials such as magnesium was essential in order to support the weight of the screen, allow it to levitate and, above all, avoid any vibrations rising up into the screen, which would have disrupted its legibility." The total absence of a top cap, meanwhile, ensures "excellent display quality with excellent contrast and depth of blacks, while avoiding reflections". In addition to the particularly fine screen edges, this reduces the workload on the eyes between the display levels of the handset and the road, maximizing driving pleasure. Didier Aufort concludes: "All the teams were challenged and responded. When we proposed the idea, our engineers were initially surprised, but everyone agreed to move forward in this direction!"

Between the curved, levitating 21-inch display and the absence of buttons on the upper part of the dashboard, this Panoramic i-Cockpit© offers a resolutely "technological" side. Designers Yann Beurel and Didier Aufort have thought of everything to balance this aspect and create a warm, welcoming interior: "We drew inspiration from the world of furniture, and in particular used textiles, which run the length of the dashboard right up to the doors. Finally, the front passenger has not been forgotten: "The hollowed-out center console on the passenger side offers space and access to storage. There's no cramped feeling. The overriding feeling is one of well-being and space on board. Passengers can still interact with the central screen, but also via a dedicated app to control various parameters such as air conditioning or radio.

After months of hard work, the time has come for Yann Beurel and his team to make their first discovery: "Discovering this Panoramic i-Cockpit© for the first time is a magical moment! Seeing this large slab come to life is very gratifying for the team who worked on it, as it's the culmination of months of hard work. When you start to look at a finished product, you tell yourself that it's a good thing you bothered everyone to get there! While at first it always seems as if you're coming up with unreasonable styling proposals, in reality that's what it takes to be at the right level by the time the vehicle is marketed. It's a challenge every time, but that's what motivates us every day, to push back the limits. We realise that what seemed improbable or even impossible is actually achievable, and that it's worth it!"