Now you may have heard of a little known event called the Paris Motor Show – or Mondial De L’Automobile if you’re that way inclined. You may be wondering why I’ve not covered the event and there has been little mention of it on the site.
If truth be told I’ve not had the time to sit down to write a proper article on the Paris Motor Show and the news has been flooding in today so it’s taken me some time to play catch up. I’m also not attending the event as honestly I never got around to getting ticket. Which is a shame as it looks to be a great event!
Here is a collection of some the cars that have caught my eye and when I can I will write more in-depth articles of some of my favourites of the event. If you do fancy going however, the event is open from the 1st to the 16th of October. Here is a look of some of the cars you can expect to see in the French capital.
Honda Civic Type R Prototype
This is a car I’ve already covered and one that I’m still not sure of. It’s definitely growing on me – thanks to that wonderful brushed aluminium wrap – but I’m not sure on the proportions, or that middle exhaust pipe finished in red for that matter. Technical details are yet to be announced and this is a prototype so the finished product may look different.
Ferrari LaFerrari Aperta
The Ferrari LaFerrari may have a silly name but the performance of this hybrid is far from silly. Now though, you can enjoy of the performance with the wind in you hair, thanks to the new Aperta, the droptop version. It’ll come with a soft-top although there is an option of a carbon fibre hard-top available if you’d prefer that. It’ll have the same V12 engine as the ‘standard’ LaFerrari – yes, it’s a hybrid, I promise – which is coupled with an electric motor to deliver a total power output of 949bhp.
Volkswagen I.D.
There has been a lot of buzz around this futuristic looking hatchback as it’s the first electric car from the German brand in its new fleet of electric vehicles. It’s due to hit the road in 2020 and it will have a fully autonomous mode ready for 2025. Volkswagen says it will have a range of 400-600 miles, which is respectable to say the least any car, let alone an electric one. Volkswagen has set itself a target to sell a total of 1,000,000 electric models by 2025 so the I.D. has quite a lot riding on it. Oh, one more thing, the I.D. will be able to receive parcels for when the owner isn’t home – that won’t stop Royal Mail leaving one of those ‘sorry you weren’t in’ cards though…
Mercedes-Benz EQ
We stick with electric (and the Germans) in the form of the EQ, a car which Mercedes says stands for ‘Electric Intelligence’. No, I don’t know where the Q comes in to it either but never mind. It’s a sporty SUV coupé that has a total range of 311 miles from the two electric motors under the bold body. 300kW (402bhp) is delivered to all four wheels and as a result the EQ is good for 700Nm of torque. This means it’ll get to 62mph in under five seconds so it’s fair to say this thing doesn’t hang about!
Land Rover Discovery
Earlier this month we saw a glimpse of what the new Disco will look like and now we have the full picture. The new model is bolder than its predecessors and it was unveiled in a similar fashion. The new model was dramatically unveiled by driving it through a mock-up of the River Thames under a massive Lego version of Tower Bridge. The new Disco will be perfect for adventurers – a storage of up to 2,406 litres is on tap and the interior offers a multitude of tech to keep the occupants connected.
Audi RS3 Saloon
Audi is well-known for making fast saloon cars and the new RS3 is no different. Under the hood is a 2.5 litre petrol engine which will propel the new car to 62mph in just 4.1 seconds. Four. Point. One. Wow. Mind you, I suppose it shouldn’t come as a major surprise as this is the most powerful five-cylinder engine on the world market with a power output of 395bhp. As you’d expect, the top speed is limited to 155mph but there is an option to increase it to a supercar-hunting 174mph. I approve.
Suzuki Ignis
Like the Baleno, the Ignis is a name that has been brought back to the Suzuki roster. I tested the Baleno earlier this year and as much as I though it was a good car I didn’t much care for the looks. The Ignis does look though, it’s got a cheeky and fun look to it like the Swift. In fact, the Ignis has taken design elements of of the previous generation of the Swift, as well as the first generation Cervo and the first generation of the Vitara. It’ll be powered by a 1.2 litre DUALJET engine which can either be mated to a 5-speed manual or a 5-speed automatic.
Renault Trezor Concept
We head back to electric now, with the Renault Trezor Concept, a car reminiscent of the Dezir. Now the EQ is quick but the Trezor is even quicker. Thanks to a 260kW (350bhp) electric motor the Trezor will hit 62mph in under 4.0 seconds. The Trezor features a one-piece clamshell that opens like a jewellery box to reveal a red interior. Carbon has been used to keep weight down which will help give the batteries better range.
There are of course plenty of cars at the show and these are simply the tip of an exciting automotive iceberg. If you are lucky enough to be going, be sure to send me a postcode! I’m now going to crack on with some more in-depth articles of these cars so in the until then, as Del Boy would say, ‘Bonjour’.