Peugeot has committed to launching one new car every year in China for the foreseeable future and the first is the SxC. The SxC (Shanghai Crossover Concept) will be unveiled at next week's Shanghai motor show.

It has been designed by Peugeot at its China Tech Centre, which is in Shanghai. Developed specifically for the Chinese market, Peugeot says the car will appeal to a rapidly growing sector in the car market in China.

At 4,870mm long, 1,610mm high and 2,035mm wide, the SxC is bigger than a Volkswagen Touareg. It uses Peugeot's new design style of a "floating" front grille, first seen on the new 508 line-up. There are LED daytime running lights to give more character to the front end, while the roof bars and other exterior trim are made from brushed aluminium in a similar style to the roof bars of the RCZ coupé.

Sitting on 22-inch alloy wheels, the Peugeot SxC concept has "clap hand" doors where the back doors are hinged at the rear in a similar way to a Rolls-Royce Phantom's. A panoramic roof helps give the large cabin an airy feel.

The SxC showcases Peugeot's petrol-electric Hybrid4 system that uses a 1.6-litre turbocharged engine with 218bhp coupled to a 95bhp electric motor. With a total of 313bhp on tap, Peugeot says the SxC is still capable of 48.7mpg and carbon dioxide emissions of 143g/km.

Although Peugeot has not confirmed the SxC for production, the popularity of large SUVs in the Chinese market would make it a welcome addition to the French firm's China-only car line-up.

Alisdair Suttie - 14 Apr 2011