Autoblog UK

Apart from the new series and concept cars, there were many green ideas on display in Paris about what mobility is soon going to mean, as indeed there had been at the IAA.
Some of these were clearly chucked together from a crib sheet, while some where serious statements. The rest ended up simply as extras on the hybrid eco stage.
The clear fakes:

The misses

1. Mercedes Benz S400 Blue Hybrid
With its Mercedes S Class Hybrid, Mercedes was not presenting anything to change the world. A heavy top-of-the-range saloon with a mild hybrid sounds like a necessary but shallow image statement. A bit like taking a banana split, covering it with cream and then using sugar-free chocolate sauce so that you can call it "low-calorie". Completely off the mark!

2. Opel Insignia EcoFlex
Economy hardly kicks in with 18 inch alloys and a 158 HP engine,
even although it's a diesel. The customer is not interested in (just relatively lower) CO2 values, but wants to know about fuel consumption.

3. Ford Bond Ka with fuel cell
You can safely take a look at the film car corner. But the Ford Ka with a fuel cell only exists in the new Bond film.

Along with the new series models and concept cars, Paris also exhibited quite a few 'green' ideas for keeping us all mobile in the near future. Some were just paying lip service to the notion and others were genuine statements of intent. The rest were demoted to the status of bit part players on the hybrid-eco stage.

My personal favourites:

The hits

1. Honda Insight
The Insight has stolen a march on all other eco concept cars: it actually goes into series production in 2009. Just like its direct competitor, the Toyota Prius, Honda have opted for a hybrid powertrain. But according to Honda, the Insight going to be far more affordable. Honda are doing their bit to make environmental conservation fit for the masses. For their public spirit, they deserve to take the top podium spot.



2. Renault Z.E. Concept
A fully electric Kangoo BeBop dressed up as a concept car. You charge it up from the mains and also via the solar panels on its roof. The double skin of the bodywork also conserves energy. Unlike well-known wholly electric debutantes, the Z.E. Concept actually offers a decent amount of room in the interior and has an altogether more adult look about it.

3. Nissan Nuvu
As Renault and Nissan are so closely associated, you suspect the Z.E. Concept and the Nuvu may have a common technical basis. And you might be right. The Nissan is also charged up from the mains and sports solar panels on its roof. But this car is smaller and more playfully designed. Who knows, it could resurface as a small Micra. Some time around about the year 2010 perhaps?

Concept cars are the stars of all motor shows in the world and just what the public loves. In Paris, there was a veritable fireworks display of emotive and innovative ideas. My misses:

The misses

1. Hyundai Genesis Coupé
"The Fast and the Furious" was supposed to have been enough to scare you off. At least that what the Genesis Coupé looks like: as if one of these over-motivated 'Pimp my Ride' would-be gangster mechanics had been given a typically colourless Korean coupé and had been told to get on with it. Where's the blue underfloor lighting? Megaflop!

2. Renault Ondelios
This has absolutely nothing in common with the new Renault design line that has recently gone into series production, and it also sports a rear end with all the elegance of a deep freeze cabinet. Even the shallow 'muesli-wave healthy concept' theme does not help a jot, although in its defence, the hybrid drive deserves a mentione.

3. Chevrolet Orlando
The Chevrolet Orlando never really made media headlines in Paris which, in retrospect, suggests a somewhat unfair extinction. But at least the cabin suggests that this concept is pretty close to series production (clear shades of Opel Insignia). Practical, but not emotively appealing enough for a concept car.

Concept cars are the star turn at all motor shows and the public love to drool over them. In Paris, there was a veritable fireworks display of emotive and innovative ideas. My personal top three:

The hits

1. Audi A1 Sportback
The Audi A1 conveys the right message for the future. Image has nothing to do with size. The A1 is small, trendy and aimed at the mini market. Despite its modest dimensions, the familiar design elements preserve that cool and classy allure that is typically Audi. The hybrid model should soothe the conscience of any environmentally aware purchaser. Real quality!

2. Lamborghini Estoque
Let's forget rationality for a moment. Auto fanatics need a car like the Estoque just to gawp at. And it's probably true that the whole world has gawped at this Lambo. Good night, sweet Porsche Panamera...



3. Citroen Hypnos
The Hypnos has received more attention for its totally weird cabin layout than for its thoroughly well designed exterior. Brightly coloured seats that are arranged in the form of an interlocking helix. Not exactly sensible or ripe for series production, the Hypnos verges on the dubious. I'm giving it top marks for creativity though, with reference to the forthcoming C4 that shares many of its sensible external design features.

The Paris Motor Show is now history and all the secrets have been revealed.
The losers among the new series presentations:

Misses

1. Seat Exeo
With the best wish in the world, a few more bits bolted on do not make a new car. And as you can see, the true age of the Exeo cannot be concealed. There is not a trace of 'automotive emotion' left. Only the reasonable basic price of 22,000 euros will ensure any sales of this piece of scrap metal. Clearly a flop!

2. Ferrari California
Does a traditional marque like Ferrari really find it necessary to follow a fashion fad like a folding steel roof? I would have expected more style and awareness of tradition. You have to pay for this mainstream extravagance with a thick and over-proportional rear end that also happens to be far from discreetly concealed.



3. Audi S4 / RS6
Over-powered pseudo sporty saloons were maybe cool in the Nineties. A rethink is made and an S4 or RS6 facelift are not the right signs to be making in the 21st century, because the rethink must start with the customer. Audi simply provides the suitable product for existing demand.

The Paris Motor Show is now ancient history and all its secrets are revealed.
The current top debutantes:

The hits

1. Toyota IQ
Wakey wakey, all you other manufacturers! You consumers are also in for a big rethink. We have just seen the future of mobility. Optional electric motor from the year 2010 plus optimum use of minimal space. Even though this may not to be the liking of certain constructors and owners, executive and mid-range saloons such as the BMW 5 and its ilk are a busted flush. Prestige status in the future will no longer be a matter of size but of image and level of technology.

2. Kia Soul
Intelligent spatial concept in a mini format. You can imagine this, or something like it, as a smarter interpretation of the compact class. With economical engine plus innovative design and use of available space, the Koreans have managed to cast off something of their former dull reputation. Great stuff!

3. Abarth 500 Esseesse
The best proof of the fact that you don't need 510bhp to have fun on the roads. And all at a totally affordable price. Incidentally, you can drive this with a clear conscience, as the 160bhp engine remains within the bounds of decency. There's a lot of history and emotion tied up with the name of Abarth. Crazy but sensible at the same time.

At this autumn's international motor show in Paris, Peugeot are presenting a prototype four-door coupe. From the first photos, it looks pretty hot. Positioned above the 407, this concept car represents Peugeot's answer to the recently unveiled Passat CC and it could be realised on the platform of the upcoming 408. Mercedes High Command probably didn't foresee the avalanche they were triggering with the CLS.

However, it's a far cry from being a coupe. In fact, it's little more than a dynamically styled saloon car, which is in itself a perfectly adequate definition. But instead of that, we seem to be allowing the marketing strategists to persuade us that a reduced-length family run-about is a four-door coupe (which is why they've given it a CC suffix, just so the customer knows what distinguishes it from the bourgeois saloon).

It's a sad state of affairs when a coupe is defined by nothing more than a plunging roof line. A real coupe has two doors and is entitled to be a tad impractical. End of story. A lot of manufacturers seem to think they've come up with the legendary 'egg-laying, wool-bearing, milk-producing, bacon-yielding beast'. They call it 'crossover'.

Following the concept car of the same name, Renault are now presenting the Kangoo Be Bop in Paris. A lifestyle-loaded version of the Kangoo small van that is within the bounds of social acceptability.

At first glance, it looks a little squeezed together. But at second glance, the blue interior equipment and two-tone paintwork clearly found their way through to series production and why not? At 3.8m, the exterior length is more than 'urbanly-acceptable' and the opening roof with rear window suggests sunny moods. Lifestyle in a gift box.

The fact that this trendy box is also great for stowage is beyond question.

The Be Bop is similarly constructed to the current Kangoo with the exception of the B-column and the two-part glass roof stretching above driver and passenger. So whoever approved of the airy spaciousness of the Kangoo will love the Be Bop. It's hard to decide to which category the Be Bop should be assigned. How about 'delivery coupè'?