Q&A: The Peugeot Fractal concept by the man who designed it

Gilles Vidal is the man responsible for making Peugeots desirable again. It’s a tough gig, but if anyone’s up to it it’s him - he’s among the most talented car designers in the world and a top bloke to boot. On the face of it his latest concept is 2.8 metres of eye candy, designed to wow the crowd at the Frankfurt Motor Show. He assures us, however, there’s far more to it than just good looks: it offers a glimpse into the future in more ways than one. Monsieur Vidal, you have our attention.

TopGear.com: Let’s cut to the chase here Gilles. With those dinky proportions it’s the new 208 isn’t it?

Gilles Vidal: So it’s a small car, it’s only 3.8m, but because it’s so low and wide and radical in proportions it feels a lot bigger than that. So it’s not meant to be a replacement for the 208. Some of the features will of course feed into those programs, but it’s not directly the next one. You’ll notice it’s a cabriolet. We’re not making cabs at the moment, we might in the future some time, but the idea is still to control the sound even when the roof is off. And also because it’s cool.

TG: So it’s the replacement for the axed RCZ coupe then, surely?

GV: We are not replacing the RCZ. Yet again, it doesn’t mean that we won’t do one at some point, but as [Carlos] Tavares [PSA Chairman] said, we want to focus on building good fundamentals, good basics, making our main range amazing. And maybe later - personally I hope as soon as possible - we’ll go back to the RCZ, but we’re not actually at this very moment working on anything like that.

TG: Boo. So what's going on here?

GV: The exterior and interior design are pushing our IDs even further, but it’s becoming more and more concrete. Sometime next year we will have a new car and it’s going to integrate a lot of what you see here in terms of aesthetics and the infotainment system. Of course it’s pushed to extremes for the concept but you will see it.

TG: That’s not the new, more SUV-like 3008 you’re referring to by any chance is it?

GV: You know the logic of how long each car lasts, so I guess you are not very wrong…

TG: So why build a small 2+2 coupe-cum-roadster if SUVs are where it’s at?

GV: We chose a smaller car to make sure our future form language works on smaller cars, so we pushed it that way. On the inside small cars are narrower and there’s less room to make these design gestures work, so it’s a big challenge.

More on the Peugeot Fractal concept

TG: You mentioned something about sound earlier, why choose that as a running theme for the Fractal?

GV: There will be a regulation in 2019 where electric cars have to have a sound between 0 and 30kmh, because in cities you can’t hear them coming. So, it can be produced by a speaker, some mechanical friction or some aerodynamic feature that produces an interesting sound. We explored all this stuff and we also created some anechoic shapes on the interior to trap nasty sounds. So there’s a whole lot of study on sound control design, and that brings you new shapes and textures and forms. We are using sound to add another layer to the experience.

TG: Things have come a long way since a swanky head unit and a sub woofer in the boot made you an audiophile…

GV: The car’s design means we’re able to place sound around very precisely but in a spherical way, with the notion of distance also. For example when the navigation tells you to turn right, it comes from the right speaker and it’s quiet when you’re far from the turn, then it gets louder and louder as the turn approaches.

TG: Nice idea. And what about the way this interior looks – realistically how much of that will make production?

GV: We will keep the high instrument panel and the small steering wheel, but the range of adjustment will be better. The wraparound effect of the centre console, without creating a wall between driver and passenger will keep going. As a driver it’s nice to be surrounded by stuff that’s dedicated to you.

TG: With every switch and surface a bespoke part, a one-off a car like this must take years?

GV: Not too long, maybe nine months. The thing is, unlike a production car, we don’t have to check with 100 engineers that it’s feasible to make at exactly €9.20 per unit, and how does it attach, and how does it not vibrate for 10 years. Just whether it looks cool.

TG: With technology developing at such an outrageous pace, how is your job evolving?

GV: Cars are not just a means of transportation anymore. In fact moving from A to B for a lot of people is just a waste of time. So how do we re-enchant that, how do you bring something interesting to that ‘waste of time’? That’s what design is all about – it’s not just aesthetics, it’s a human experience that you live as a person. We are not car designers anymore, we are experience designers.