SHANGHAI AUTO SHOW: Peugeot SXC Hybrid Concept

Peugeot is building on its plans to release one new model a year in China -- a country expected to buy 200,000 Peugeot vehicles in 2011. At this year's Shanghai Auto Show the French company will present its new 508 for the Chinese market and showcase its cutting edge concept car, the SXC.

The SXC was designed in China at Peugeot's Chinese Tech Centre, Shanghai. Its ambitious, futuristic styling said to explore the limits of the modern Crossover vehicle.

An evolution of design themes seen on previous concept cars (SR1 and EX1 Roadsters, BB1 City Car, and BR1 Concept) the SXC not only develops the marque's penchant for bold, athletic design, but its ongoing advancements in powertrain technologies, too.

SXC is powered by a 1.6-litre THP petrol engine (160kW) mated to a (70kW) electric motor to deliver a combined fuel consumption figure of 5.8L/100km and CO2 emissions of 143g/km. Incorporating Peugeot's HYbrid4 technology, SXC will use the petrol engine to drive the front wheels and the electric unit to drive the rear. The technology also permits all-wheel drive (when both engine operate simultaneously), which Peugeot says benefits grip in extreme conditions. The car can also operate in electric-only mode at low speeds, similar to EV-mode in Toyota's Prius Hyrbid.

Riding on 22-inch alloy wheels, the show car is topped by a generously proportioned two-part panoramic sunroof. The TRON-like passenger compartment is accessed via reverse-hinged doors.

At the front, the SXC features Peugeot's revamped lion emblem above a 'floating' grille, which is flanked by 'feline' headlamps said to give the car a "piercing gaze echoing the marque's emblem". The headlamps use the latest LED technology which extends to the 'boomerang' shaped rear lamps.

SXC Concept measures 4870mm in length, 1610mm high and 2035mm across.

The Shanghai Auto Show kicks off on April 21.

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