Peugeot Exalt concept unveiled ahead of Beijing

Peugeot has pulled the wraps from its five-door saloon concept car, the Exalt. The new car will go on display at the Beijing Auto Show this year. The Exalt is a follow-up to the Onyx concept car which the French carmaker had earlier revealed at the 2012 Paris Motor Show.

The new concept car is 4,700mm long and sits low with a height of 1,310mm. Upfront, the Exalt gets a long bonnet and a three-slot wide horizontal grille which is flanked by twin headlamps. Peugeot has crafted the exteriors of the car using bare hand-beaten steel and covered the rear of the vehicle in shark skin -a slippery bio-engineered textile. According to the French carmaker, the shark skin will help to improve the aerodynamic performance of the car due to its grain structure. The trunk lip spoiler gets three vertical strip taillights. The car rides on 20-inch bare steel wheels.

The interiors of the new car exude a premium feel. The small wheel is trimmed in leather and chine - a natural wool-based mixed fabric, with the digital instrument panel positioned above it. Peugeot has replaced lightweight carbon fibre with basalt fibre, which can be found on parts of the seats, dashboard and door cards.

The extended centre console stretches through the centre of the car, with two folding touchscreens emerging from the dashboard. The upper screen gives access to the navigation systems and on board computer, while the second screen presents controls for the automatic air conditioning and the surface purifying Pure Blue system.

Powering the concept is a Hybrid4 all-wheel drive powertrain which produces 340PS of power. A 1.6-litre, four-cylinder engine mated to a six-speed automatic gearbox runs under the hood of the Exalt to produce power of 273PS. The rear axle houses a 50kw electric motor which also charges the car’s battery. Peugeot hasn't revealed any performance figures of its new concept car yet.