At the upcoming Paris auto show, French carmaker Peugeot will debut a diesel hybrid based on its existing 3008 crossover. The company claims the 3008 HYbrid4 will return up to 62 mpg—albeit on the optimistic European economy cycle. To do so, the five-seat, Volkswagen Tiguan-sized crossover combines a turbo-diesel engine powering the front wheels with an electric motor powering the rears. It will be the only diesel hybrid production car in the world.

The engine driving the front wheels is one of Peugeot’s HDi FAP diesels, a 2.0-liter mill rated at 161 hp and 221 lb-ft of torque, coupled to a six-speed automated manual transmission. The rear-mounted electric motor is rated at 27 hp and 74 lb-ft of torque, with brief peaks of 37 hp and 147 lb-ft available; a nickel-metal hydride battery feeds the motor and is recharged by the gas engine. The HYbrid4 also has a stop-start feature and a seven-inch LCD screen allowing the driver to monitor the system’s performance and efficiency.

A knob located in the center console allows the driver to choose from four operating modes. In auto, the car’s computer decides how best to employ the diesel engine and electric motor. In ZEV (zero-emissions vehicle) mode the Peugeot runs primarily in electric mode, firing up the diesel only if more acceleration is needed. Four-wheel-drive mode uses both locomotion sources for additional traction, and Sport mode combines them for maximum acceleration, with a peak combined output of around 200 hp and 368 lb-ft of torque.

Peugeot will begin building the efficient crossover in France later this year and it should hit European dealerships in the spring of 2011. (The company hasn’t sold cars in the U.S. since 1991, so don’t get your hopes up for one on our shores.)

Prices for the current, non-hybrid 3008 run from about €21,000 to €33,000 depending on options, or $27K–$42K in our currency. Key features on the 3008 HYbrid4 will include a panoramic sunroof, electronic parking brake, LED running lights, head-up display, navigation, and Bluetooth. Figure on a price deep into $40K-equivalent territory with the addition of all the hybrid tech.

Looks like the folks over at Peugeot couldn’t wait for next month’s Frankfurt Motor Show to fully reveal their latest creation, the all-new RCZ 2+2 sports coupe that is scheduled to go on sale across Europe in the spring of 2010. As the first full-blown photos of the new RCZ prove, Peugeot’s designers stayed 99 percent faithful to the original concept car from the masculine wheel arches right up to its unique double bubble roof and rear windshield.

Overall, we’d say that the RCZ is not only the best looking Pug in recent years, but it also boasts one of the most attention-grabbing designs in the mainstream coupe segment since the presentation of the first-generation Audi TT.

And if that’s not enough, Peugeot also offers customers the chance to further personalize the RCZ’s appearance with a range of special options including a real carbon rooftop, roof arches in different colors (black chrome, satin finish), numerous 18- and 19-inch alloy wheels in several finishes (matt black, polished black, dark grey, diamante), black lacquered body parts at the front, carbon door mirror covers, bodywork detailing and more.

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No sooner than we posted an article on Peugeot’s plans to reveal the 5008 minivan this week and the French automaker came out with official photos and details on its new people carrier. Peugeot’s proposal in the compact MPV segment, which will rival the likes of the Opel Zafira and Renault Scenic, is scheduled to make its world premiere at the Frankfurt Auto Show in September and go on sale across Europe this autumn. Like most of its competitors, the 4.53-meter long MPV can accommodate seven passengers in three rows of independent seats (2+3+2 layout).

Depending on the position of the sliding rear seats, the 5008′s boot capacity, ranges from 758 liters to 823 liters under the parcel shelf with the third row seats folded away. This capacity increases to 1,247 liters when the rear parcel shelf is removed and the vehicle is loaded to the roof and can further increase to 2,506 liters with the second row seats folded away as well.

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While all the spotlights were focused to Detroit and the 2009 North American International Auto Show, on the other side of the Atlantic, Peugeot took the opportunity to quietly unveil the all-new 3008 compact crossover. Take out the fancy-pansy detailing, and not much has changed from last year’s Paris Show Prologue Hybrid Concept. That said, the five-seater 3008 is more of a pug than a stud – at least in what concerns its exterior styling.

If you’re still wondering what the 3008 is supposed to be, Peugeot officials said that it is positioned “at the crossroads between several existing vehicles like the SUV, the MPV and hatchback.” Something like an automotive mixed-grille in other words. The 3008′s most closest rival seems to be the Nissan Qashqai crossover, which has proved quite successful in Europe.

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Peugeot’s new, Paris-bound hybrid concept car is called the Prologue, and based on how Peugeot describes it in the press release that accompanied these three photos, it shows us where the French automaker is headed stylistically and technologically. The Prologue is a perfectly normal-looking 5-door hatchback with a new, less-horrific take on the gaping-maw look with which the Peugeot range has been saddled in recent years. Now it just looks angry, instead of like a boxer about to spit out his mouth guard. The Prologue’s hybrid powertrain is apparently good for 200 horsepower and emits 109 g/km of CO2 per kilometer. We’ll have the final word on the Prologue — an epilogue, so to speak — from the Paris Motor Show next month.

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