A STUNNING sports car with a petrol-electric hybrid powertrain and capable of 155mph has been unveiled by Peugeot as its blueprint for the future.

As the French company kicked off its 200th anniversary celebrations it took the wraps off the SR1 roadster.

Purely a concept model - and looking as swish as a BMW Z4 - company chiefs said the stylish sports car shows off Peugeot's new design strengths of 'motion and emotion'.

The SR1 is four wheel drive and powered by a hybrid system pumping out 313bhp. That puts it in the same league as a Porsche Boxster but with CO2 emissions of 119g/km compared to 230.

With a 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engine powering the front wheels and an electric motor driving the rear, the SR1 can accelerate from 0 to 60mph in 4.7 seconds while averaging a claimed 57.6mpg.

It can even be driven for almost eight miles purely as an electric car where it produces no emissions. Eco friendly features include lightweight construction - it tips the scales at just 1.5 tons - and LED lights which consume less power.

As well as all wheel drive the handling is further enhanced with four wheel steering.

The SR1 may be only a concept but the Hybrid4 drive system is very much reality and will be available as early as next year in a new version of Peugeot's 3008 crossover model where it will offer tax free motoring with a CO2 figure below 100g/km.

Peugeot says the hybrid 3008 will be 35 per cent more fuel efficient than conventional petrol versions which already can average close on 40 miles per gallon.

The hybrid system will be joined by a stop/start diesel engine offering 15 per cent more fuel economy while a range of three cylinder lean burn petrol engines is also on the cards as Peugeot pushes to cut emissions.

The 200th milestone kicked off in Paris not only with the SR1 and new mission statement but also a new lion logo - the latest incarnation of the symbol the company first registered as its trademark in the early 1800s when it started out producing salt and pepper mills.

As part of the motion and emotion initiative Peugeot pledged to make more special edition models with 'in your face' styling, according to managing director Jean-Marc Gales.

That starts this spring with the arrival of the RCZ coupe based on the 308 hatch but with a double-bubble roof, sleek styling and handling said to be reminiscent of the iconic 205 GTi.

A new 408 saloon will be going on sale in China by the end of January while overall the company is planning 14 new models in the next two years.

Peugeot, which started making cars in 1896 after a period of manufacturing bicycles, is also moving ahead with the introduction of electric vehicles.

The battery powered i0n - based on Mitsubishi's electric Miev - will be on sale before the year is out. Other zero emission vehicles ready to roll include an electric E_Vivacity scooter and the four-wheel BB1 - which is basically as scooter with a four-seater body.

A hybrid trike, the HYbrid3Evolution, is also being planned as another city vehicle with a mission to slash CO2 outputs by 2012.

'We have ambitious growth planned for the Peugeot brand,' said Mr Gales. 'We want to go up three notches in the global hierarchy by 2015 to become number seven (among worldwide car makers).'