At Paris Motor Show, the Home Team Continues to Flaunt Styling Norms PARIS -- The French have historically rebelled against the conventions of automobile design, and for that we have cars like the Citroën 2CV and Renault Dauphine to admire and, at times, revile. At their biennial salon, the hometown companies haven't so much rebelled as they have applied styling theorems from the Art Institute of Outer Space. There may be a future classic among three concepts we surveyed, or maybe not. First up is the vehicle that is the least outré, after you get past the green paint. The Peugeot 2008 Concept is a crossover intended in the mold of the Land Rover Evoque. Peugeot calls it an urban crossover concept, and it is based on the platform of the company's 208 compact hatchback. Far from being a thought exercise, the 2008 is expected by its maker to go into production next year. The company has taken pains to note that it was designed in Europe, China and Latin America -- presumably not by little green men -- and that it would be built in France, China and Brazil. Vying for attention across the floor from the Peugeot was the Citroën Tubik, a microbus concept shown initially at the Frankfurt motor show last September. The all-wheel-drive Tubik is powered by its corporate parent's Hybrid4 technology, featuring a diesel engine up front and an electric motor to drive the rear wheels. Those 22-inch wheels are nearly lost in the bulk of the Tubik's, well, tub. Capable of accommodating nine and cast in a moody blue, the interior might sooner evoke a hotel lobby from a Stanley Kubrick film than a place to stash Sparky and the kids. Also in the Peugeot Citroën realm is the bullet-sleek Peugeot Onyx concept, which may be the only concept that could rival the McLaren P1 for the unofficial title of most outrageous sports car in Paris. But where the P1 is more or less real, the Onyx is surreal. The supercar has a matte paint job covering sections of its carbon fiber body, with other portions covered in copper sheet that would develop patina with age and exposure to the elements. Press materials indicate that the Onyx is equipped with a diesel hybrid powertrain based on a 3.7-liter V-8 engine rated at 600 horsepower. The glowering rear end -- yes, the rear end glowers -- features no fewer than six exhaust outlets. In a media release, Julien Cueff, the interior stylist for the Onyx, said he was inspired "by an everyday object, the egg box. With remarkable economy of material, it protects very fragile items. France, we cannot wait to admire your wares, and your press releases, again in 2014.