You’re ready for a rectangular steering wheel, thinks Peugeot, so here’s what’s coming…

Peugeot will put its Hypersquare steering wheel into production in 2026. It’s actually a strange name because the “yoke” isn’t square at all.

The Hypersquare steering wheel debuted last year in the Inception study model. There were immediate rumors that it would go into production, and these now seem to be coming true.

What makes a “yoke” better?

Peugeot says the clinics have proven that customers are ready. This raises the question: If clinics are needed to test a new form of control, is it the right form of control?

A steering wheel has worked perfectly for more than a hundred years. What makes a “yoke” better than a round handlebar? Because without steer-by-wire, something like this is anything but ideal, as we know thanks to Tesla.

Peugeot boss Linda Jackson

“We don’t just think that [Hypersquare – red.] “It is technically superior,” says CEO Linda Jackson, “but it also improves something that is fundamental to Peugeot: driving pleasure.”

Jackson is very vague about how Hypersquare does this. In her conversation with Britain’s Autocar, she doesn’t get any further than that the steering wheel is “agile and flexible” and “creates easy maneuverability.”

Additional space through Hypersquare

According to Jackson, the test audience was shocked at how much extra space the Hypersquare handlebars provide. We don’t quite understand how this is possible yet, as the rectangular thing doesn’t seem to be much smaller than a normal steering wheel.

Successor Peugeot 208 / 2008

According to reports, the Hypersquare “yoke” will be used for the first time in the successors to the Peugeot 208 and 2008. They should have a 21-inch curved display as an infotainment screen.

With or without steer-by-wire

Tesla includes a Knight Rider-like control stick in its models, but uses steer-by-wire. This means that you still have to repack, which is a burden with half a steering wheel.

Lexus and Toyota, on the other hand, combine steer-by-wire with their “fork”. The variable gear ratio takes some getting used to, but makes sense since you never have to turn the handlebars more than 150 degrees.