Unveiled in 2012, the Peugeot Onyx Concept is incredibly futuristic, and it features a potent hybrid powertrain.
Now owned by Stellantis, Peugeot’s history dates back over 200 years, beginning in the French town of Sochaux, where the Peugeot family embarked on a variety of unique achievements. Their inventive spirit would eventually lead them to construct one of the world's most recognizable car brands. Peugeot now has offices and production units across the world.
The French company is the world's second-oldest automobile manufacturer. It is now part of the PSA Peugeot Citroën conglomerate, which produces a wide range of small, mid-sized, and large passenger cars, SUVs, and sports vehicles.
Peugeot has won the coveted European Car of the Year award five times. In 1969, the 504 took first place, followed by the 405 in 1998, and the 307 in 2002. Peugeot won the prize more recently with the 308 in 2014 and the 3008 in 2017.
Peugeot has a thriving motorsport sector as well. Five World Rally Championship victories, seven Dakar Rally victories, three 24 Hours of Le Mans victories, and two World Endurance Championship victories are among its notable accomplishments.
Peugeot showcased a sinister-looking supercar concept at the 2012 Paris Auto Show. The French carmaker released the Onyx concept based on previous performance-oriented show vehicles, such as the SR1 convertible and EX1 electric racer. Peugeot designed the Onyx to investigate the usage of novel materials in vehicle manufacturing.
Let’s take a closer look at the Peugeot Onyx concept.
RELATED: The ‘80s Coolest Concept Car: The Peugeot Quasar
With a strong contrast of materials and colors, the body shape of the Onyx is crisp. A skilled artisan created the wings and doors from a single sheet of pure copper. The metal polished to a mirror finish is unprotected from the elements. Through a natural patina effect, it changes its look over time. Coated matte black carbon fiber covers the rest of the body.
Peugeot designed the front 'face' to be aerodynamically efficient, connecting the vertical grille and the full LED headlamps to create a streamlined surface.
The airflow is split; part of it enters the car's heart, moving within the body and delivering air to the engine. The second portion of the airstream flows around the car's flanks and into the air intakes via the 'double-bubble' roof.
Onyx finishes with a flourish as the taillights continue Peugeot's three-claw light trademark. They also support tiny vanes that guide airflow across the top and sides. To prevent interference, they meet as far away from the body as feasible. Onyx's aerodynamic footprint is inversely related to its optical effect, with a drag coefficient of 0.30.
The Onyx possesses a jaw-dropping interior. The seats, floor, and center console are all made of a single piece of carbon-fiber tub. Wool felt coats the seats' foam cushioning, while 'newspaper wood,' according to Peugeot, makes the dashboard.
Peugeot collects and crushes old newspaper into the proper forms; if looked at closely, one can see the type from the original pages. A head-up display shows the driver speed and vehicle information while seated behind a distinctly French squircle steering wheel.
The Onyx houses a dashboard studded with aluminum toggle switches, including one to start the engine in the roof panel. A reflective 'blade' shows the feed from the three rearview cameras, two side-mounted and one back.
The felt-covered central console houses milled aluminum temperature controls in the style of a lightsaber and a blown crystal 'reservoir' that shows the fuel level using actual liquid. Some type of supercar scent fills the second chamber in that glass piece, which spreads throughout the interior.
RELATED: Here's Why The Peugeot 508 PSE Is An Amazing Sports Sedan
Monolithic carbon makes the chassis and is only twelve pieces. It incorporates the front and back struts, eliminating the need for offset panels. The structure's torsional stiffness and weight are then optimized, with the weight measured at less than 100 kg.
The 3.7-liter hybrid V8 HDi PF engine and axles bolted to the carbon shell represent Peugeot Sport's knowledge gathered and honed on tracks worldwide.
Pipes that cool the V8 engine originate in the roof and lead to NACA intakes. The V8 sends 600 horsepower to the back wheels via a 6-speed sequential gearbox.
The intelligent HYbrid4 technology recovers kinetic energy that would otherwise be wasted when braking. This energy is stored in lithium-ion batteries and is then automatically delivered back during acceleration, increasing power by an extra 80 hp. This car can accelerate from 0 to 62 mph in 2.9 seconds and has a top speed of 220 mph.
Onyx achieves its exceptional performance with less than 2 kilograms per horsepower while maintaining the purity and beauty of its design. Onyx uses a flat carbon pan that generates a tremendous ground effect to accomplish this.
Marcus is a car enthusiast who loves writing about them. He travels frequently and always seeks out the best driving roads to really test a car's limits. His favorite cars are anything with a manual transmission, and he's been known to spend hours just shifting through all the gears.