First Pictures of New Peugeot Hybrid Concept Released

Peugeot's home motor show is coming up and it is a show they are unlikely to take lightly. In preparation for the event the French manufacturer has released the first images of a new concept they will be unveiling at the Paris Motor Show. The full name of the concept is yet to be divulged, so in the meantime we will have to make do with “RC...”.

The model is a GT Coupe which features four seats and a highly innovative hybrid architecture , it represents the missing link between the RC Concept car unveiled back in 2002 and the Peugeot 908 RC from the 2006 Paris Motor Show.

Potential power output is 313bhp and the effect on environment is kept to a minimum with CO2 emissions of 109g/km when driving in combined mode, this figure goes down to zero in full electric mode.

Many of Peugeot's future ideas have been included in the model and it could be the first step into presenting the company's new brand identity which is likely to be focused on a more aggressive and sporty product line up.

[Source: Peugeot via WCF]




More pics @ WCF here...

The Audi R8, Lamborghini Murcielago and Maybach Fulda Excelero have called...

They want their design back, there might be more, but I didn't check the answering machine yet...

Agreed, it doesn't look bad at all, but it's very un-original!

Press Release
Environmental efficiency combined with motoring passion

The RC HYmotion4 is a concept car born from the passion and expertise of Peugeot’s stylists and engineers. This “GT” coupe is the missing link between the RC ♠ and ♦ concept cars revealed in 2002 and the 908 RC, one of the stars of the 2006 Paris Motor Show. It is a real laboratory of future ideas, bringing together numerous stylistic, engineering and technological ideas in a single vehicle.

The RC HYmotion4 is an accessible and versatile car, with four doors, four seats and four wheel drive, coupled with a highly innovative electric/petrol hybrid architecture (HYmotion4 technology).

Its aim: a very high level of efficiency both in terms of performance (with its potential 230 kW/313 bhp) and minimal impact on the environment (CO2 emissions of 109 g/km in the combined cycle or Zero in electric mode).

It is an exciting, eco-efficient vehicle which has all the characteristics that create a real passion for driving. A synthesis of ideas that demonstrates that respect for the environment and driving pleasure can be compatible.

The dawn of a new day… Over the distant horizon, the already powerful rays of the rising sun strike the façades of the buildings in their path. Among them, the expansive glazed façade of the Peugeot Design Centre which immediately embrace the new light of day.

Daylight then fills the immense workshop where undetected activity has long been in progress.

In fact, right here at this time, a small army of stylists are adding the final touches to their latest creation.

As their eyes gradually adjust to the brightness, each stands back from their work, exposing the contours of the car’s body to the rays of the sun.

Centimetre by centimetre the sun’s rays caress the car’s carbon “skin”, highlighting its pure and sensual contours. They illuminate the Lion badge at the front of the car, the strongly styled lines of the bonnet and the expressive design of the headlamps, bringing the shape to life. The latter also blend harmoniously together in an uninterrupted flow that emphasises
the muscular design of the wheel arches, the raised window line and the two doors on either side of the vehicle.

A second team of engineers also share these intense and short moments.

They are finishing the installation of the particularly innovative hybrid traction system into this automotive sculpture. As, in the great tradition of Peugeot concept cars, this vehicle is an
automobile first and foremost. It is a car which is fully in step with the times, but it is technologically ahead of its time. The 1.6 litre THP engine which is fitted at the rear of the vehicle is combined with a 70 kW electric motor under the bonnet.

The end result is a maximum power of 230 kW (313 bhp), ensuring high levels of driving pleasure, combined with CO2 emissions in the combined cycle of only 109 g/km, or zero in electric only drive mode.

Another major innovation made possible by the design is the vehicle’s four-wheel drive system, which directly benefits road holding and therefore safety.

Many other new features are available on the vehicle, for example the original design of the suspension and the on-board technology within the passenger compartment, again benefiting both driving comfort and the wellbeing of its four potential occupants.

On this morning in the middle of August, the company’s senior managers are also on the scene. Because being present at the birth of a new concept car is a rare event, a privileged moment.

They soak up the atmosphere surrounding the new car, instilled with all the values of the Lion badge. These values, modernised or reinterpreted, remain fundamentally the same. In this cradle of design of future vehicles, there reigns a mood charged with emotion and passion, a genuine love of the motor car.

Right in front of the eyes of these onlookers, a new page in Peugeot’s history is being written.

The RC HYmotion4 is in fact the forerunner of many new traits: details, major trends, and also futuristic technologies. It therefore occupies a place of honour in the Peugeot space at the Paris Motor Show, alongside other vehicles also pointing the way towards new horizons.

But this car is the forerunner of something else too. This four-door “GT”, the missing link between the RC and • concept cars of 2002 and the 908 RC of 2006, embodies the permanency of Peugeot’s values, focused on driving pleasure from every perspective.

In this endeavour, the technology used to improve the environmental efficiency has in no way compromised the design, aerodynamics, style or driving pleasure. On the contrary, these innovations are adaptable and in the final analysis make driving pleasure more accessible.

The RC HYmotion4 is therefore synonymous with pure motoring enjoyment, yet at the same time is environmentally-friendly.

It is a vehicle proud to assert that in a world where the pace of change grows ever quicker, the founding values of Peugeot have never been lost, and that the flame of motoring passion continues to burn brightly.

We are at the dawn of a new day, but one which is not so different from any other.

A day which follows on from those that preceded it. A day like many others in Peugeot’s history. A day the likes of which we shall no doubt see again, made possible by passionate and inspired men and women bound together by a real confidence in themselves and in the future.

[Source: Peugeot via WCF]

More pics @ WCF here...

Not bad, being a concept from Peugeot, not bad at all ...!

What I don't get is, why a hybrid (being a concept) should have such a sophisticated design ...?