What's the news?
This is a hybrid version of the Citroen C5 Aircross SUV and it's heading to the Paris Motor Show in October, ahead of it becoming one of the first plug-in hybrid vehicles to be sold in the entire PSA Group.
Going under the name C5 Aircross SUV Hybrid Concept, the almost fully-formed looks of the show car prove that this is extremely close to production, and therefore only a concept in name. And although the C5 Aircross - a larger version of the C3 Aircross and an evolution of the sort of revolutionary, Airbump-toting styling we first saw on the C4 Cactus - is already on sale in China, the Paris event will be the global premiere of the PHEV model.
Citroen is promising that 80 per cent of its range will have an electric option by 2023, with 100 per cent coverage by 2025. As a PHEV, the C5 Aircross Concept will have a fully zero-emissions running range and will not only use advanced hybrid technology, but will feature the Progressive Hydraulic Cushions (PHC) suspension and Advanced Comfort seats that Citroen is pinning its future hopes on.
Drilling down into details on the C5 Aircross Hybrid, it is claimed to have a 50km EV range, thanks to the pairing of an 80kW (109hp) electric motor to a 180hp PureTech turbocharged petrol engine. Using the e-EAT8 eight-speed automatic gearbox, the total power output of the concept is 225hp, which is a pretty decent number to be dealing with.
The show version of the hybrid SUV is finished in a white, Deep Blue and anodised Electric Blue paint scheme, while it sits on 19-inch Anthracite alloy wheels. There's a Hybrid logo on the bootlid and the multitonal exterior hues are continued inside, where a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and eight-inch central touchscreen reinforce the technology message of the C5 Aircross.
Anything else?
Citroen is saying a PHEV version of the C5 SUV will go on sale from early 2020, but until that time the model will be launched in Europe with more conventional petrol and diesel engines, ranging from 130- to 180hp.