We caught a glimpse of the Peugeot Onyx Concept a few weeks ago on Peugeot’s Facebook page. Peugeot, however, chose to be a little coy and not actually release the information, but we managed to peg it down as the Onyx.
Peugeot has now decided to spill the beans about its fancy new concept joining it at the 2012 Paris Auto Show, the Onyx Hybrid. Peugeot has released more detailed specifications and some pretty detailed pictures of this new supercar. And this car is much more impressive than any of the initial rumors could have ever alluded to.
Though the press release shows us no indication of when Peugeot plans to officially unveil the Onyx to the public, we can safely assume that it will be at the 2012 Paris Motor Show. Even without the official public reveal, all of the information and images that Peugeot has released, we can now pass a detailed review of Peugeot’s supercar concept on to you.
Exterior
All we got to see of the Onyx’s exterior is its basic side profile and a silhouette of its front fascia. While that was very telling, we still had a big mystery to wade through. Fortunately, Peugeot’s latest press release has given us the majority of the goodies about this exterior, and some of them are rather shocking.
Up front, the fascia is a little more squared-off than we thought it would be, as it almost resembles the DeLorean DMC-12 – if it had managed to survive his drug-trafficking charges and the fact that its stainless steel body required a steel wool pad to detail it. Much like the DMC-12, the Peugeot Onyx has an equally interesting use of metal, as its doors and wings are all made of polished copper. Peugeot left the copper pieces unprotected to allow the natural patina (tarnishing) effect to occur over time.
The remainder of the body panels are developed using a slightly less rare, but not too common, carbon fiber. Peugeot then draped the carbon pieces in a matte black to give the Onyx a sinister look rarely replicated in the automotive world.
The front end features a flat, vertical grille with four horizontal louvers and the obligatory fighting lion emblem. Flanking the grille is a pair of squinting full-LED headlights. Below the grille, a large lower fascia flows toward the ground. On each side of this lower fascia is an air-intake duct that channels life-giving air from the front of the car to the engine in the rear.
As you swoop up and over the shallow-raked windshield, you’ll find a double-hump roof – much like the one on the RCZ – that also boasts a pair of air intakes to channel air to the engine. Speaking of the roof, it is made from the same Ply Methyl MethAcrylate (PMMA) material as all of the glass. For those that don’t know what PMMA is, it is lightweight, shatter-resistant glass, AKA Plexiglas, Lucite or Perspex. We guess “PMMA” sounds a lot cooler than saying “Plexiglas…”
The back end of the Onyx looks like something straight out of a dystopian movie (see “Back to the Future” or “Demolition Man”). This bad boy features a plethora of LEDs, including Peugeot’s signature three-claw taillights, the light bar, and even the “Onyx” bade is made up of LED lights – a really nice touch.
There is no sign of any exhaust system flowing from the rear end, but there are six holes near the bottom of the rear fascia, so we only assume the exhaust somehow routes through these holes. Just above the engine, you’ll find a setup of louvers to help suck heat from the engine compartment without disturbing the Onyx’s astounding 0.30 drag coefficient.
The Onyx concept is a rather svelte one too, as it weighs in at just 1,100 kg (2,425 lbs). It measures in at 4.65 meters (183.1 inches) long x 2.2 meters (86.6 inches) wide x 1.13 meters (44.5 inches) high. For comparison’s sake, the 2012 Lamborghini Aventador measures in at 188.2 inches long, 79.9 inches wide, and 44.7 inches tall, and it weighs in at a relatively flabby 3,472 lbs. This makes the Onyx about 5 inches shorter in length and 0.2 inches shorter in height, but over 6 inches wider and over 1,000 lbs lighter. That’s simply impressive.
Interior
On the inside, Peugeot made an ultra-modern, ultra-stylish interior while using materials that would not deplete the Earth’s natural resources. On the inside, you are going to notice a natural look and feel to the Onyx. You’ll also notice how minimalist and clean the interior is, as Peugeot used only the materials that it absolutely had to.
The cockpit it a “tub design,” which is also featured on the Sesto Elemento’s interior. This means that there are technically no seats. Rather, there are two indentations in the Onyx’s tub that you slide yourself into. The pedals and steering wheel, we assume, more forward and rearward to fit your height. This seating position gives you a great view and excellent road feedback. The cockpit is made completely of compressed and stretched felt, and foam lying atop the car’s existing tub, and is completely soundproof.
Felt also graces the outer ring of the steering wheel, so it feels natural, gives you a good grip and limits sweating as you wheel this nearly-700-horsepower beast around. Behind this wheel rest the paddle shifters to help you run through all six gears that the Onyx boasts.
The dashboard is a thing of beauty, as it is made of a new type of simulated wood. This is actually called “Newspaper Wood” and it is made from used newspapers that are compressed to create a wood-like grain. Peugeot did not try to hide the fact that this is newspaper wood either, by leaving behind the existing print on the newspaper, which is visible when you take a closer look.
There is no need to take your eyes off of the road to check your key gauges, as the Onyx boasts a heads-up display that shows the engine’s activity and vehicle’s speed. The hybrid system’s operation is shown on digital displays, so you can see if it is producing the extra 80 horsepower or not.
There is a rear-view camera screen also mounted on the ceiling, which displays the images of the Onyx’s three rear-view cameras. The cabin boast aerators that actually capture the essence of the materials used to craft the cabin, and dual-zone climate control with milled-aluminum controls.
The final and likely coolest component in the interior is the addition of a camera between the headrests. This camera captures your driving experience and you can upload it to a tablet or laptop to relive the moments.
Engine & Drivetrain
Under the carbon-fiber hood on the Onyx lays a beast, in the form of a 3.7-liter FAP HDi V-8 engine with hybrid technology. The V-8 engine itself is a monster, pumping out an insane 600 horsepower and transferring the power to the rear wheels via a 6-speed sequential gearbox. On the roof is a set of aluminum switches and the “Start/Stop” switch for ignition of this beast.
The Hybrid4 system in the Peugeot Onyx Hybrid uses regenerative braking to keep its batteries all charged up and tosses into the ring an extra 80 horsepower when it’s charged and ready to go. This brings the Onyx’s peak ponies to 680 horsepower, bringing it dangerously close to the 2012 Aventador’s peak power.
Unfortunately, and maybe very telling, is the fact that Peugeot makes no reference to the Onyx’s torque output. We have reached out to Peugeot’s PR department to obtain a torque value, if it’s available. We will take a stab at the torque value and peg it at about 550 pound-feet from the gasoline engine and an additional 100 pound-feet from the electric motor. This would likely propel the Onyx to 60 mph in a TopSpeed-estimated 2.4 seconds – well faster than the Mighty Aventador.
Handling & Braking
We’ll start off with the Onyx’s impressive framework. The sleek body rests atop a Monolithic carbon frame. This Monolithic carbon frame is comprised of 12 sections that tie the front and rear end together, adding torsional rigidity to the entire chassis and increasing its handling characteristics. An added bonus to using this type of frame is that in its entirety it only weighs about 100 kg (220.5 lbs).
Embracing the front rims is a set of 275/30R20 tires and the rear rims have a set of 345/30R20 tires wrapped snugly around them. At all four corners, the Onyx boasts double-wishbone suspension and inboard spring and damper system.
The braking is handled by 380 mm (14.96-inch) carbon rotors up front and 355 mm (13.97-inch) carbon discs on the rear. Carbon discs no only keep the unsprung weight lower, helping to enhance the Onyx’s handling characteristics, but it also reduces brake fading from excessive heat. The Onyx’s braking is further enhanced by a rear wing that acts as an air brake under hard braking conditions, much like the Bugatti Veyron.
With its ultra-low weight and rigid carbon frame, Peugeot did not need to put too much focus on the handling and braking department, but did so anyways… Hats off.
Pricing & Release Date
Pricing is not yet known, but we figure Peugeot spent at least $1 million crafting this concept. We highly doubt that the Onyx will reach production nor do we think Peugeot is even entertaining the idea of releasing it for sale. Giving it the due process it deserves, we still contacted Peugeot to find out if there is any potential of us seeing a production model. We anticipate a canned response.
Conclusion
We love concept cars. Regardless of how unbuildable or far-out they are, we still can’t help but fall in love with them. This is one that is extremely far out there that we never expect to see hit a showroom floor, though Peugeot may surprise us. We highly doubt that the copper doors, “Newspaper Wood” dashboard and 680-horsepower engine would make it to production, if the Onyx does slip into the manufacturing line.
Peugeot needs to tread lightly here, if it plans to release this car lacking these features that make it so unique. The last thing this French automaker needs to do is to serve up a stinker like Volvo did with the C30 Polestar Limited Edition, which has nearly half the horsepower that its concept version had.
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