Paris show: Peugeot hunts for urban youth with HR1

PEUGEOT has presented a young-at-heart hybrid micro-SUV concept dubbed the HR1 at its home motor show in Paris this week, providing a design reference point for forthcoming compact models and the potential development of a sub-3008 urban crossover to rival the likes of the Nissan Juke and Mitsubishi ASX.

Considered a strong signal to the next-generation 208 light car, due for release in 2012, the HR1 is said to blend a number of genres including city runabout, coupe and SUV to match the profile of “active young city dwellers smitten with design and innovation”.

The design carries a number of familiar cues from other cars and concepts, including finely chiselled headlights and a single ‘floating’ grille – elements of Peugeot’s new design direction, as shown on the SR1 concept at Geneva in March – as well as an RCZ-style ‘double-bubble’ roof which in this application serves to increase rear headroom.

Other design highlights, most of which are pure flights of Parisian fancy, include twin electric scissor doors, striking full-LED tail-lights and a one-piece tailgate hinged from the back end of the roof rails.

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he HR1 rests on a 2311mm wheelbase and measures 3694mm long, 1755mm in width and 1492mm in height, making it a little shorter but not quite as wide as the overtly masculine Juke.

Front and rear wheel tracks are 1534/1512mm respectively, with the wheels on the show car at 19-inch on 225/45-section Michelins.

The cargo volume extends to 734 litres when two seats are employed using the vehicle’s so-called ‘stowaway seat’ system, but falls to 457 litres with three seats installed and 180 litres when all four seats are in place.

While the concept car incorporates Peugeot’s familiar HYbrid4 technology, with a rear electric motor offering lower emissions (including a short pure-electric range) and four-wheel drive capability, the HR1 features an all-new 1.2-litre THP petrol engine, producing 81kW of power and 195Nm of torque and combining with an electronically controlled six-speed manual gearbox.

With the 27kW electric motor, the 1130kg vehicle has a total maximum power output of 108kW, which can in turn achieve fuel consumption of 3.5L/100km and CO2 emissions of 80g/km, according to the manufacturer.

The suspension is a conventional MacPherson strut front and rear torsion beam configuration, while the steering is electric powered.

Inside, the HR1 has a ‘movement recognition’ system that enables the driver to scroll through functions and adjust systems such as the stereo, satellite-navigation and air-conditioning with only basic hand movements.

The front passenger, meanwhile, can use a mobile PC tablet that allows data to be shared and changed with the driver’s display.

Peugeot says the HR1 “breaks new ground with new trends in hyper-connectivity, modularity and responsiveness, and offers an entirely new driving experience”.

It also act as a gentler concept alongside the radical EX1 electric supercar being shown at Paris, too.