Peugeot is aiming high with the RCZ.
The French volume car maker is reported to be considering a faster version of the RCZ, one that makes it more competitive vis-a-vis the Audi TT, as well as a hybrid and cabriolet variants to round out the range.
The RCZ could come with a 'Targa'-type model, along the lines of the Porsche 911, says the RCZ's production chief Marjorie Lhullier. "If we could do a targa similar to the Porsche 911 with the RCZ double-bubble roof it would be fantastic," she is quoted in the Autocar story.
But that RCZ will have to have a more powerful engine than the current range-topping 1.6 liter turbo with 200 bhp in order for the model to be considered within 'Targa' territory. The RCZ, as it is now, though, is a light car at 1275 kg, making that 1.6 liter take the car from 0 to 60 mph (100 km/h) in a decent 7.6 seconds.
Also in the cards, according to Lhullier, may be a diesel-hybrid with power in the range of 200 bhp too.
Peugeot will be going after a different consumer demographic with the RCZ model, expecting a customer-base that is 80 percent male, as opposed to its other cabriolet/coupe models. Both the 207CC and the 308CC are heavily aimed at female drivers.
Starting price for the RCZ in the U.K. market is expected to be below £20,000 (22,855 euros). The model is slated to go on sale in the spring of 2010.
