Autoblog

Click above for a hi-res gallery of the Peugeot RC...

With the semi-annual auto salon returning to Paris this fall, you can expect France's major automakers to make a big splash this year. Peugeot is preparing to unveil a new concept car, and has given us a bit of a heads-up in the form of a few images and some teasingly cryptic details.

With the name of the actual car not yet released, Peugeot is referring to the show car as the RC, adopting the same thematic nomenclature as the RC Spade and RC Diamond concepts from 2002 and the 908RC concept sedan from the last Paris Motor Show in 2006. Like those concepts, this one is not meant to directly preview a production car in the pipeline. However, it does foreshadow Peugeot's new design direction. The four-door concept's styling melds smooth flowing lines and sharp creases to make for a stunning shape, and moves the huge lion emblem farther south, not unlike the Audi R8's grille. The echoes of Ingolstadt aren't new for Peugeot, with many asserting that the 308 RC Z borrowed too heavily from the Audi TT. As for propulsion, Peugeot insists that "respect for the environment and driving pleasure can be compatible", and so have fitted the RC with an unspecified hybrid powertrain producing a maximum of 313 hp and emitting only 109 g/km of CO2 in gasoline mode and, of course, zero in electric.

Check out the press release after the jump and the gallery below to view the teaser shots of the upcoming Peugeot hybrid concept, and stay tuned as we close in on the Paris show for more details.

Gallery: Peugeot RC... concept

PRESS RELEASE

Environmental efficiency combined with motoring passion

The "RC...", which its full name will be revealed at the Paris Motor Show, 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 ♠ et ♦ 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..." is an accessible and versatile car, with four doors, four seats and a highly innovative hybrid architecture.

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 together create a real passion for driving. A synthesis of ideas that demonstrate Peugeot, more than ever, is capable of combining respect for the environment with driving pleasure.