Peugeot ZR1 Concept: A Hybrid Worth Finding at Geneva

A Hybrid That Doesn't Sacrifice Performance

That car staring at you right now is the Peugeot ZR1 concept car, and while it doesn’t have the cartoonish grille openings of a Mazda, it does have quite the little grin to show off to Geneva Motor Show attendees.

Normally, combining that with engineers who are hyping the virtues of a hybrid powertrain would make for a yawn and a turn back to the fantastic 2011 Lotus Elise. But then you see the power numbers.

313 brake horsepower drive all four wheels, with fuel economy at roughly 20.5 km/L. All four wheels steer, too, and that combined with the ability to shunt power to either the front or back makes the ZR1 a worthwhile proposition.

So maybe the hardtop tourer is staring at you with a toothy grin. It’s more like one from the cat that ate the canary, and we’ll be looking forward to seeing the performance bits show up in other models.