PARIS MOTOR SHOW: Peugeot 3008 GT

Peugeot has revealed the 3008 GT, a contemporary and athletic take on the new 3008 small SUV it revealed last month.

Scheduled to make its public debut at the Paris motor show in late September, the high-performance version of the five-seat 3008 features "bespoke styling and features", says the local importer.

Along with one of the most futuristic interiors this side of Tesla Model X, dubbed i-Cockpit, the 3008 GT also comes with large 19-inch alloy wheels surrounded by wider, blistered wheel-arches designed to give the car more presence.

It's powered by a bigger, stronger 2.0-litre turbo-diesel pumping out 133kW/400Nm and paired to a six-speed automatic transmission.

Together with Peugeot's trademark two-tone paintwork – dubbed "coupe-franche" by the French car-maker – the 3008 GT makes a powerful visual statement.

The 3008 GT will be joined by a less extreme 3008 GT-Line model, which features many of the visual upgrades but at a lower price thanks to smaller, less powerful engines, smaller 18-inch alloys and black instead of the GT's chromed wing mirrors.

Both models are currently being considered for the local market.

Peugeot Australia General Manager, Kai Bruesewitz, said negotiations with its European supplier are ongoing and is hopeful the high-end 3008 will land in Australia.

"While we are still negotiating the final model and drivetrain line-up, we believe the 3008 GT and GT-Line suit the Australian market and customer tastes, and we are hopeful of securing the model as part of the all-new model range for 2017," said Bruesewitz.

Peugeot's existing 3008 sits in a curious spot between 2008 compact SUV and 4008 medium SUV, and hasn't been a wildly successful for the importer.

The 3008 has found just 51 homes in the first five months of 2016, compared to the 2008's 161 and 4008's 336 sales. But with a high-tech, avant-garde, go-fast model sitting atop the new SUV-style range, the halo effect could bolster sales of the new 3008 range.

"The [new] 3008 continues Peugeot's product lead reinvention, underpinned by an overall desire to design, develop and engineer vehicles that are efficient, enjoyable to drive and great to look at," said Bruesewitz.

Comprising Access, Active and/or Allure variants, the new-look 3008 is slated to arrive in Australia in the first half 2017, with the 3008 GT – if it gets green-lit for our market – likely to follow shortly after.