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Paris Motor Show

This is the 500bhp Peugeot Quartz

Published: 18 Sep 2014

This is the Peugeot Quartz Concept; a four-wheel-drive hybrid crossover with more horsepower than a BMW M3.

Wait, what? Thanks to a drivetrain developed by Peugeot Sport, this concept promises the "punch of more high-performance models". Thems be fighting words.

It's got a lot to fight with, too. Underneath the body - we'll get to that shortly - sits a 1.6-litre petrol engine with 270bhp borrowed from the Peugeot RCZ R and powering the front wheels, along with a pair of electric motors (one on the front axle, one on the rear). There's a six-speed auto ‘box on board too.

So, in ‘Race' mode - one of three that includes full EV and ‘road', where just the front axle is engaged - this crossover develops a full 500bhp. That's... considerable.

It's all bolted onto PSA's new EMP2 platform - which forms the basis of the new 308 and Citroen C4 Picasso - and sits just over two metres wide and 4.5 metres long. 23in wheels, ruddy scissor doors, lens-free headlamps, short overhangs and the two spoilers back up the sporting intent.

It gets a mineral grey finish at the front, inspired by rock crystal, and matt black for the rear wings with flashes of red. There's space for four inside, with an interior - like the Exalt and Onyx concepts - built from a range of materials.

So, you'll find basalt - formed when magma cools - digitally woven textiles mixed with polyester fibre, leather, trim sourced from furniture and clothing, and door frames milled from a block of composite material. There's also a head-up display.

"Peugeot's style strength lies in its prowess in tackling a saloon or hatchback just as effectively as a crossover to create the kind of stylish car that people would really love to own," says Gilles Vidal, Peugeot Design Director.

It certainly follows a fine line of concepts, including the Onyx, Exalt, and of course, that mad Dakar racer. Would you love to own a Quartz, TopGear.commers?

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