Shanghai show: Peugeot unveils SXC hybrid SUV

PEUGEOT will grace this year’s Auto Shanghai with the arresting SXC hybrid crossover concept which could point the way to a new model to sit above the brand’s current largest SUV, the Mitsubishi Outlander-based 4007.

The Ford Territory-sized concept displays the “new stylistic design codes of Peugeot”, with the slim, “feline” headlights and floating grille giving way to heavily sculpted flanks and boomerang-style tail lights.

The concept also features a two-part panoramic roof and rear-view cameras in the side mirrors.

The four-seater cabin, accessed via reverse-hinged ‘suicide’ rear doors, is a blend of blushed aluminium and stitched leather, with blue LED highlights throughout and a wrap-around, cockpit-like dash.

The all-wheel drive SXC has Peugeot’s HYbrid4 powertrain, combining a 160kW, 1.6-litre petrol engine driving the front wheels, with a 69kW electric motor sending power to the rear.

CO2 emissions are a claimed 143 grams per kilometre and fuel consumption is listed as 5.8 litre per 100km. The SXC can also run in “zero emissions” mode at low speeds.

Illustrating Peugeot’s growing focus on the rapidly expanding Chinese market, the cheekily-named SXC concept was totally designed and developed at the French manufacturer’s Shanghai-based tech centre.

Peugeot has said it plans to launch at least one new model a year in China in the coming years, with the aim of selling 200,000 vehicles in that market during 2011.

The French company will also use the Shanghai show to launch to the 508 flagship model on the Chinese market.

Peugeot’s BMW 5 Series competitor is set for its Australian debut at the Australian International Motor Show in Melbourne in July, with sales of the sedan to begin around the third-quarter, with the wagon following later in the year.