2008 Paris Motor Show: Peugeot RC HYmotion4 Concept

For those who don’t know, Peugeot is a French car company that isn’t really relevant outside of Europe. They don’t have astronomical sales, they control no market segment, their cars aren’t incredibly exciting, in short, they aren’t really well known.

But at the 2008 Paris Motor Show they generated a deserved amount of attention over several of their cars, the coolest being the absurdly named RC HYmotion4 Concept.

And it is not hard to see why. This four door four seater basically proves two things: that a sedan doesn’t have to be boring, and that it is very possible to look cool, be green, and haul four people around in one nice package.

I mean, just look at it. That, my friend, is one sick ride. Personally, I think it copied the Audi R8’s front, only it looks better, and it far outshines the no doubt more expensive Lamborghini Estoque that was shown at the same show. I’m usually a two-seat speed addicted sports car guy, but I would be proud to own one of these sensual machines.

More info, spec sheet and lots more pictures after the jump:

Pictures courtesy of the manufacturer and RPMGO

The reason that you can look fly and be green at the same time is due to the hybrid drivetrain. The RC HYmotion4 is powered by a 1.6 liter engine at the rear of the car, and an electric motor capable of putting out 95 horsepower that sits under the hood. Put them both together and you get rather substantial stats: 313 horsepower, 338 pound-feet of torque, a 0-60 mph time of only 4.4 seconds, and a top speed of 183 mph. That is actually really good, especially when you remember that it is a hybrid we’re talking about.

Best of all, all that great performance does not come at a price, for the RC HYmotion4 boasts a very impressive 52 mpg. So holistically, it offers beauty/exotic cool, performance, practicality, and great fuel economy in a car that unfortunately will never become a product. I know there are all sorts of reasons why concepts never make it to production, but I wish that just once someone would cut through the bureaucratic BS and have the balls to make a car we want. Peugeot, I’m looking at you.

Specs

Price: not available

Engine: 1.6 liter at rear with an electric motor under the hood

Top Speed: 183 mph

Horsepower: 313

Torque: 338 lb-ft

0-60 mph: 4.4 seconds

Mileage: 52 mpg

Are you sure of the specs?
243 hp from a 1.6l engine(338hp-95hp electric)
Tell us more about this engine please

After spending the first 28 years of my life living as a neighbor of those pesky French, i had to eventually give in and accept the inevitability of the pan European car market dominance of the cow burning frogs. They pump out some semi decent cars, nicely styled, good grade plastic clad interiors with fantastic fuel efficient diesel engines for a Ford beating price. Unfortunately for the European folk, the cars arent as well thought out as their more expensive German neighbors and although i have owned both Renaults and Peugeots that are far superior to their American counterparts, i would never own another even if they did decide to ship to America.
They brake a lot, cost a lot to fix and in the case of the French People Car, the Renault Megane, can cost over $600 to simply change a head light (access to the lamp assembly is granted via the wheel well after you remove the wheels, body work and some engine parts!).
So, we come to the point of my rambling…… is it a bad thing that these French concept cars will only ever stay a concept, the answer is “Mais non”, by the time the manufacturers can get those lazy vino guzzlers to build the car, it will an out dated polished turd……a bit like the new, Audi TT rip off Pug 308 RC-Z!

Whoa, I made a mistake there. Thanks for noticing, Charlie de La.

Okay, so the engine is a 1.6 liter THP, which produces 218, horsepower. Add that to the 95 delivered by the electric motor, and you get 313. The torque produced by both the engine and the motor equal 338. I just switched the numbers for horsepower and torque on the spec sheet. My bad, and thanks for catching it!

If you still want to know more, there really isn’t all that much to tell. The most news is in the lithium-ion motor, which can recharge itself is either decelerating or braking. The RC HYmotion4 has a manual transmission. It controls both the engine and the motor purely by electronics, since there is no mechanical link between the two.

The car can be powered in electric only mode, engine only mode, or with the two combined. Keep in mind that the stats I gave above are only when the motor and the engine are in use simultaneously. Otherwise, the car is either limited to 95 horses or 218.

Again, thanks for noticing the error. I’ll fix it ASAP.

Agreed WayneJax, I have yet to find a modern French car that I actually want.

But still… It’s hard for me to imagine this very attractive car being an “outdated turd”.