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The biennial Paris Motor Show brings out the best in the French automakers, whose displays are understandably massive, and whose concepts battle it out with each other to see who the star of the show really is. Peugeot has gotten the first shot in with its menacing 908 RC sedan, powered by the company's 750-hp Le Mans V12 diesel.

Today, Peugeot's corporate sister, Citroën, shows off her Paris concept: the smashing C-Métisse 4-door coupe. The car is drenched with style and has the presence of an exotic with its front gullwing and rear scissor doors. In front, the Citroën badge extends out to the large, styled vertical headlamps, which are themselves flanked by significant intakes. A trapezoidal opening sits in the lower part of the front fascia.

The long, sleek body houses an ultramodern passenger cabin, with seats covered in white leather and many of the car's key controls housed on the steering wheel. Citroën moved some controls -- including the starter button -- with the intention of creating an aircraft-like feel. The center console also continues the modern design theme. It is a source of ambient lighting and also houses the screens that let the driver to monitor the car's hybrid drivetrain.

The Hybride HDi system consists of a 208-horsepower diesel V6 driving the front wheels, and a pair of electric motors -- each putting out 20 horsepower and 300 lb-ft of torque powering the rear. In urban environments, the car can operate in zero-emissions mode, running on the electric motors only at speeds up to 30 km/h. In addition to that, the car switches between 2-wheel-drive and 4-wheel-drive automatically depending on traction conditions.

Citroën says that the hybrid powertrain train helps the car achieve a fuel economy rating of an impressive 36.1 miles per gallon in the combined cycle. No slowpoke either, the C-Métisse also makes the run to 100km/h (62 mph) in 6.5 seconds.

If the future of motoring looks something like the C-Métisse, we welcome it with open arms. Complete details, full technical specifications, and a photo gallery can be found after the jump.

[Source: Citroën]