Start with what the Citroën Hypnos is: a 5-door SUV with Diesel engine and electric motor hybrid drivetrain, built from 2008, in the decade of stability control, dual-clutch gearboxes and the first serious hybrids. What it meant takes a little longer. The shape is credited to Emmanuel Rius, Domagoj Đukec (exterior) / Leighanne Earley (interior).
How it came about
The Citroën Hypnos is a concept mid-size luxury crossover produced by Citroën at the 2008 Paris Motor Show. It has a 5-door SUV body style and is powered by a diesel hybrid drivetrain with a rear axle-mounted electric motor. The car's most distinctive design feature is its interior, with rainbow-coloured, offset seats, and a system which analyzes the driver's face to gauge his state of mind and adjust the cabin lighting and scented air freshener fragrance in consequence.
Citroën announced that diesel-hybrid engine would be available in all models by 2015. The concept car has appeared in several auto shows, including the 2011 Goodwood Festival of Speed. Some of the styling features of this car later appeared in the Mitsubishi ASX-based Citroën C4 Aircross compact SUV, available from the first half of 2012, as well as the Citroën DS4 and DS5.
The hardware
The engine is Diesel engine and electric motor hybrid drivetrain. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
Family and rivals
The cars a buyer would have weighed it against include the Nissan 370Z, the Tesla Roadster, the Nissan GT-R. Its Citroën stablemates include the Citroën K and the Citroën 2CV.