Beijing show: Peugeot’s Onyx goes four seater

PEUGEOT is set to reveal a four-seat version of its Onyx hybrid supercar concept, this time at the Beijing motor show in April.

Saying the fresh concept is from “the same lineage” as the Onyx sports concept shown at the 2012 Paris motor show, Peugeot promises the new car will provide another glimpse of the brand’s future design language.

The original Onyx was a two seater, with the pews moulded into the carbon-fibre tub and arranged ahead of the mid-mounted 447kW 3.7-litre V8 diesel engine powering the rear wheels.

Cloaked in a skin of carbon-fibre and copper, the super-light (1100kg) Onyx also had an electric motor delivering 60kW of power to the front axle, creating a form of all-wheel drive.

The big difference with the new car is expected to be the seating layout, with the French car-maker promising accommodation for four passengers and their luggage.

The car will also feature “natural” materials. The original Onyx had a dashboard made of recycled newspaper and a wool-based felt interior trim.

“Special craftsmanship with original materials forms part of the Peugeot Style approach, first used on the Onyx concept, and which becomes a direction for the brand’s future vehicles,” Peugeot says in a statement accompanying an image of a low-slung sedan “coupe” covered by a satin sheet.

Describing the design as “athletic and refined”, Peugeot said the car would be 4730mm long and 1310mm tall.

It plans to tease the design in an “original and ephemeral installation” in Paris ahead of the Beijing show which starts on April 20.

Peugeot is clearly using the Beijing revelation to further its interests in the world’s biggest motor market, where it was ranked a lowly 18th in passenger car sales last year.