Strong clues to 407 coupe

This is the Peugeot 407 Silhouette, a concept car shown at Geneva last week but by all accounts complete with "very strong" design cues as to the look of the next generation 407 coupé.

Remove the wings, fancy paintwork, stripes and extended wheel-arches and you get a real picture of what the new coupé will look like when it takes to our roads by the end of 2005 or early 2006.

In its show guise, the car featured a 3-litre V6 offering up 300 bhp. However, this engine will never reach the road in production models, probably reserved for track service.

With all the qualifications about taking concepts too seriously, it does give an indication that Peugeot plan to move the coupé look from sleek and sporty to more meaty and masculine in the 407 range.

Meanwhile the other two version of the 407, the mainstream saloon will be here by the end of May and the new SW version (in reality an estate) will arrive in September/October.

Prices have yet to be confirmed though are expected to be in the range of €2,000 higher than the current prices given the higher standard specification which will include ESP, an extra airbag bringing it up to seven, along with new suspension settings.

That would bring the entry level model onto the market at about €25,500.

The engine range of the new 407 will begin with a 110bhp 1.6-litre HDi diesel. There will also be a 2-litre 136bhp diesel on offer. In the petrol range, the entry level model will be powered by a 1.8-litre 117bhp unit, while there will also be a 2-litre 136bhp and a 2.2-litre 160bhp on offer.