You’d expect French carmaker Citroen to make a splash at its home show, and its Hypnos concept didn’t disappoint.

Best known for its range of efficient and inexpensive Euro-hatches, covering bases from the supermini C3 to the miniscule C1, Citroen unveiled Hypnos to focus buyers on its larger, more profitable autos.

The Hypnos’ curvaceous exterior is handsome enough, but its rear hinged rear doors, pillarless door openings, outsize wheels, color-flecked slick tires unbuildable concept staples. The interior is what really dazzles, with its rainbow-colored, rib-backed molded seats, roof mounted head restraints, and 3D crystal-style instrument display. The center console is formed of helically twisted ribs, which house ventilation and other controls for each individual occupant. Looking like a cross between a high-tech artificial sand-dune and a display of avant-garde space-age furniture, this is the sort of ultra-cool stylish cabin that you would only ever find in a French car.

Eye-catching as it may be, it’s not likely to reach production. What will, though, is the diesel-hybrid powertrain. The 2.0-liter diesel engine with particulate filter produces 200 horsepower and drives the front wheels through a 6-speed gearbox, while the electric motors put a further 50 horsepower through the rear wheels. Citroen says this system is already technologically feasible, and promise a production car (not Hypnos) fitted with it by 2011 capable of 52 mpg.

Even more outlandish than the Hypnos is the GT by Citroen concept; a design study developed in partnership with video game publisher Polyphony. The only place you’ll get to drive this fuel-cell powered racecar is in a virtual world.

Tantalizingly for classic car enthusiasts, there was also the promise of a successor for Citroen’s iconic 2CV “tin snail”, to mark the original’s 60th anniversary. The new car will, Citroen says, replace the motor industry’s usual mantra of “always more” (performance, size, equipment) with “always better”, offering more efficiency, more “respect for the environment” and simpler, cheaper construction. Three power options are planned: a conventional engine for highway drivers, an electric-only version for urban drivers, and a hybrid for those who do both (isn’t that everyone?).

Also on display was an all-electric version of the C-Cactus concept, theoretically offering a 150km (90 mile) range on a charge.