Peugeot to Break Out of Mold With RCZ in Frankfurt

PARIS – Automobiles Peugeot will launch a hot coupe next spring, based on the 308 RCZ concept car it unveiled at the Frankfurt auto show in 2007.

The production version is expected at Frankfurt in September.

RCZ brings pizzazz to Peugeot brand.

Peugeot has been getting little respect recently, and its market share has been slipping while sister Automobiles Citroen has been gaining share. Its designs generally have been regarded as conservative, and the RCZ is an attempt to bring pizzazz to the brand.

Significantly, Peugeot announced the project on the eve of the French national holiday, Bastille Day, thus making the car a symbolic revolution.

Another sign of its revolutionary nature is the name. Although it uses the 308 platform, RCZ is the only Peugeot not named with a number having a zero or a double zero in the middle.

Peugeot released highly stylized photos of the car that show it retains the fluid, racy lines of the concept car. The auto maker wants the 2+2 coupe to be an exclusive car, “aimed at a modern clientele particularly demanding and expert in automotive pleasures.”