PEUGEOT SR1
Style Revolution
- Published: 22/01/2010 at 12:00 AM
- Newspaper section: Motoring
Peugeot's latest concept car points to a new design language and showcases green technology poised to reach production car starting next year
- It looks like an Aston...
Hmm... maybe from some angles, especially with that inverted grille up front and the swoopy lights. But this is the Peugeot SR1 concept car with which the French want to preview a new design language and some green tech.
- Ah, the design of current cars is nearing a dead end...
You could say so, given that the 107, 207, 308, 407 and 607 have evolved mildly over the past generations. Peugeot finds it fit to introduce a new family look and has decided to start with the SR1 which will be shown at Geneva motor show in March. The occasion also commemorates the brand's bicentennial this year with a new logo, for the 26th time.
SR1 could give some hints to 407 Coupe´ replacement.
- Could the SR1 give some hints to the next 407 Coupe´?
There have been some suggestions from Peugeot that it might. Let's not forget that the 407 range has been around for quite some time already. And now that there are rumours that Peugeot may merge the 407 and 607 into one range, the next 407 may spawn bigger saloon and Coupe´ bodies. The SR1 has a 2,595mm wheelbase and 4,823mm overall length.
- Will the coupe have a fixed roof or open top?
That will really depend on the marketers at Peugeot. The SR1 seen here in these official pictures show an open-top body with removable hard-top which would prove a little impractical in the real world. Peugeot has expertise _ and success _ with folding tin-tops like the 207 and 308 CCs. But in theory, traditional Coupe´ and soft-top cabriolet are always possible.
- With only two seats?
Peugeot claims that the SR1 is a 2+1, and the third seat in the rear is vaguely seen here in this interior shot placed in the middle. It's most likely that a market-ready coupe would have to have seating for four like the in the 407 Coupe´ _ or simply two, if ever Peugeot decides to go pure roadster.
Driver-oriented fascia may become a hallmark for future Puggs.
- That fascia looks quite cool...
Yup. And if all's well, you could expect future Peugeots to come with driver-oriented fascia. The French know that their current crop of cars have lost that "driver appeal" of past Peugeots, and they could be trying to rejuvenate it. BMW has already started returning to its roots, while Audi _ one of the Peugeot's benchmark brands in recent years _ is also catching up with this trend.
- There seems to be nice materials inside...
Like so many others making a pitch via their concept cars these days, Peugeot says the SR1 employs natural materials whose production entails reduced impact on the environment. Note the hi-tech instruments and display, plus oval-ish, Audi-esque steering wheel.
New logo for new decade.
- Let me guess: there's a hybrid under the bonnet...
Precisely, but no prizes because it's simply too predictable. The SR1 has a 218hp 1.6-litre turbo-petrol engine as used in the new Audi TT-chasing RCZ, plus a 95hp electric motor driving the rear wheels. This essentially makes the SR1 an all-wheel-drive sports car (see Audi, Peugeot has a Quattro!). Oh, and all four wheels steer for increased driving agility.
- How fast and green is it?
With a combined output of 313hp, Peugeot says the SR1 sprints from 0-100kph in 4.7sec before being whistled at 250kph. Green kudos include 119g/km of that black stuff (zero in electric mode around city-driving) and a 20.4kpl average appetite for fossil fuel.
- Such a concept sounds familiar...
Yeah, familiar to what BMW did at the Frankfurt motor show last September when the German showcased Efficient Dynamics Concept, a sporty concept with hybrid technology for future small cars like the 3-series. In the SR1's case, to so-called HYbrid4 will make it first to the 3008 crossover next year. As for the rest of the car, wait and see.
Relate Search: Peugeot SR1, Audi TT-chasing RCZ
