The 24-year-old woman was flagged down by a man while driving her car through the village of Lanjeth on Sunday.
The woman, from St Austell, said when she stopped her car she was punched twice and pulled from her vehicle.
Officers said the man drove off when a red Metro car stopped at the scene. A silver Peugeot 206 found nearby is thought to belong to the attacker.
Car stops
The woman was returning home in her red Vauxhall Corsa car, having dropped her friend off in Foxhole.
She was flagged down by the man on the Foxhole to St Austell road at about 0540 GMT on Sunday before he tried to abduct her.
A red Metro motor car then passed the incident and stopped some 20 yards ahead of the stationary Corsa.
The man then released the woman who got into her car and fled the scene, passing the Metro as she did so.
The attacker was described as white, 6ft tall with short cropped hair, a goatee beard and a hooped ear ring in his right ear.
The man had a local accent and was wearing a distinctive red thigh-length jacket.
Police are anxious to speak to the driver of the Metro and anyone who may have witnessed the assault.
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