PARIS MOTOR SHOW: Peugeot Onyx supercar leaked

Undisguised images of Peugeot’s exotic Onyx hybrid supercar concept have been leaked a day after a teaser trailer was released for the French brand’s all-new Paris Motor Show creation.

Studio shots of the sleek black and bronze super-coupe were leaked by Dutch website autoblog.nl, revealing an ultra-low profile with an audacious rear diffuser and de rigeur oversized wheels.

Even the interior has been unexpectedly revealed, showing a futuristic cockpit with an oblong, carbon-fibre-clad steering wheel and twin seats separated by a massive full-length centre console.

Apart from its futuristic wide-body design, menacing LED lights and a retractable spoiler, Peugeot is keeping its cards close to its chest until the Paris show in three weeks.

However, European media outlets are reporting the Onyx could be powered by a compact, mid-mounted F1-style turbocharged 1.6-litre petrol engine backed up by an electric motor, delivering 188kW and 88kW power outputs respectively.

Talk of fuel economy in the 4.0L/100km range is also being bandied about.

If the powertrain reports are true, the Onyx could be a rival for BMW's plug-in i8 supercar and would join a growing list of hybrid sportscars from Europe and Japan.

The futuristic supercar concept also hints at the French maker's evolving design philosophy. It shows off sleek new front-end styling that incorporates scores of LEDs and a distinctively aggressive motif that could influence the next-generation RCZ.

From the teaser video it's also possible to see a long rear decklid (which takes a few cues from Lamborghini), suggesting its engine is mid-mounted and that the car has been designed to deliver top-shelf driving dynamics.

Compact cameras replace traditional wing mirrors and a retractable rear spoiler indicates the Onyx has been designed to handle extreme speeds.

Performance is expected be aided by extensive use of Kevlar and carbon-fibre in the Onyx's construction, and that is implied in the video that shows a liquid applied to what appears to be a Kevlar panel.

See the teaser video below for the full effect.