Peugeot 308 CC

Underneath this all-in-one dressing is the protoype for Peugeot's new 308 CC convertible.

These exclusive pictures show the car undergoing hot-climate testing in Southern France and prove Peugeot is going full throttle on the development of the 308 CC.

Like its predecessor, the new 308 CC will mimic the hatchback’s front-end design and will get a retractable hard-top that folds in two parts. The overall length and width won’t differ much from the 3- and 5-door hatchback, and rumours suggest the CC will be the world’s first car to be offered with a diesel hybrid.

A release date has not been confirmed but dealers are expecting the drop top to hit showrooms sometime around spring 2009.