Peugeot Exalt Hybrid Concept Gets A New Look

When it first debuted in Beijing back in April, the Peugeot Exalt concept debuted with a two-tone “shark skin” exterior and a 340 horsepower hybrid drivetrain. Well the Exalt is back, making its way home to Paris where it will re-debut with the same drivetrain but a new interior and exterior look. The four-door Exalt concept is underpinned by a 1.6 liter four-cylinder engine cranking out 270 horsepower and an electric motor that adds an additional 70 horsepower for a combined output of 340 ponies. For Paris, Peugeot has also added an electric HYbrid scooter beneath the trunk floor, because Europe? Other than that though, the Exalt’s drivetrain remains unchanged from its Beijing debut. The outside, however, has been tweaked a bit more, with the red shark-skin textured rear painted a more shark-like grey for Paris, better matching the bare metal look of the rest of the Exalt. It should be noted that this unique textile actually reduces aerodynamic drag at the rear of the car, making the Exalt much more slippery. The recycled newspaper interior has also seen its contrast swapped, with light wood trim and dark fabric, from the dark wood and light fabric of the original concept. Peugeot designers did maintain a lot of bare metal for the car’s interior, though only in places where it doesn’t come in contact with the four occupants. Not quite as cool as the bare copper exterior of the Peugeot Onyx Concept, but still pretty cool. Concepts like the Peugeot Exalt rarely get a secondary makeover unless they’re likely to head to production, and the near-universal praise the four-door saloon received from the motoring press may have tipped the scales in its favor. I’m a huge fan of the different materials and bare metal look of the Exalt, and I’ll certainly not complain about the 340 horsepower hybrid drivetrain (though the Exalt does come in at a hefty 3,700 pounds). Do you think the Peugeot Exalt is destined for production, or is the French automaker just trying to get as much mileage as it can out of good-looking concept car? Source: Gas 2.