New design chiefs for Peugeot and Citroen

PSA Peugeot Citroen is under new design leadership this week. As of 4 January 2010, Gilles Vidal has taken over as design director for Peugeot and Thierry Metroz is the new pencil wielder-in-chief at Citroen. Both will report to Jean-Pierre Ploué, who remains design director for the PSA group.

Peugeot Quartz Concept is a 494bhp Hybrid SUV – debuts at Paris Motor Show

The Peugeot Quartz Concept is a 494bhp Hybrid SUV - The Peugeot Quartz Concept is a concept from Peugeot heading for the Paris Motor Show next month, and it uses a hybrid setup to offer the potential of huge performance from a pair of electric motors and the 270 PS 1.6 litre petrol engine from the RCZ R. Before you get too excited, it seems unlikely the QuartZ Concept is heading for production with its very concept-y look with scissor doors, pop-out steps for access and no B-Pillar, but it does show what could be done if Peugeot is brave enough and it does show the performance potential of the hybrid platform. The hybrid platform consists of the 1.6 litre THP 270 engine from the RCZ R – good for 266bhp – and an electric motor on each axle.

2013 Mini Cooper Countryman offers seating for five

The 2013 Mini Cooper Countryman is officially for sale, at a cost of $22,700 including $700 in destination charges. The Mini Cooper Countryman will be available with any of Mini’s three engine options for 2013. The base model will get the 1.6-liter making 121 hp and 114 lb-ft of torque, while the Countryman S will get a turbocharged version making 181 hp and 177 lb-ft of torque.