The biennial Paris Motor Show opened its doors to the media on 29 September, 2016. We travelled to the French city to get up close and personal with all the new production cars and concept models. Here's our A-Z rundown following the media day.
Alfa Romeo
A quick glance at the traditional black-and-red Alfa Romeo stand reveals nothing new. No Stelvio SUV as we were hoping for (presumably that'll be at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show now), for example. However, the Paris show did host the debut of new Veloce versions of the Alfa Romeo Giulia saloon and the Giulietta and Mito hatchbacks. The Giulia Veloce sits below the high-performance Quadrifoglio model in the line-up, though does feature Q4 four-wheel drive and an eight-speed automatic as standard. Buyers choose between 280hp petrol and 210hp diesel engines.
Audi
It was quite late in the day that Audi revealed everything new on its stand in Paris. We had already seen pictures of the new A5 and S5 Sportbacks so no surprises there, though viewing them in the metal confirmed how great they look. Audi also launched the hugely appealing RS 3 Saloon in Paris, with 400hp and quattro four-wheel drive, though the tasty blue version on the stand was somewhat overshadowed by the jaw-dropping RS 3 LMS racing version sat next to it. Next to all that, the unveiling of the 2017 Audi Q5 was a little disappointing. Sure, it has a gorgeous interior and promises to be of exceedingly high quality, but the exterior design is incredibly conservative, looking more like a facelift than an all-new model. We think it's a missed opportunity, but then again, with such strong sales of the outgoing car, perhaps Audi didn't want to scare away its loyal customer base.
BMW
The BMW Group hall was massive in Paris, with large areas given over to BMW M and BMW i. This show is the first chance for buyers to check out cars like the extended range BMW i3 94Ah and the facelifted 3 Series Gran Turismo, though the undisputed star of the stand (and contender for overall show star, we think) was the BMW X2 Concept. We expect a production version to rear its head in the New Year.
Bugatti
Technically speaking, there is no Bugatti stand at the 2016 Paris Motor Show, but the Bugatti Chiron hypercar was on display on the eve of the show proper at the regular Volkswagen Group Night.
Citroen
No surprise that the French pulled out all the stops for their home show. Citroen had plenty to talk about too, from its gorgeous CXperience concept car that is touted as a preview to a new generation of ultra comfortable replacements for the Citroen C5 and C6, to the rather more grounded C3 supermini. The latter was one of the most impressive of the 'normal' new cars in Paris, however, taking some of the C4 Cactus quirkiness and adding them to an attractive compact shape. The C3 will also spawn a new WRC rally car, as suggested by the C3 WRC 'concept' on show.
Dacia
While not ground-breaking by show standards, Dacia had a few announcements of its own in Paris, starting with the availability, for the first time, of an automatic gearbox for the Duster SUV. It's a dual-clutch six-speed unit and it's paired with the familiar 1.5-litre dCi diesel engine. Elsewhere, mild facelifts were applied to the Sandero hatch, Sandero Stepway 'crossover' and the Logan MCV estate. Exterior and interior enhancements are the name of the game, with a new entry-level 1.0-litre petrol engine for some markets.
Ferrari
Two new cars made their world debuts from Ferrari in Paris, in the shapes of the oddly-named GTC4Lusso T and the LaFerrari Aperta. The former takes the V12-engined, four-wheel drive GTC4Lusso as its base (replacing the Ferrari FF, remember), then ditches power to the front wheels and replaces the sonorous V12 with a turbocharged V8 engine instead. It'll be offered alongside the V12 car, but woe betide anyone that calls it the 'basic' or 'entry-level' model... If you have any grasp of Latin or Italian you'll have worked out that the LaFerrari Aperta is the open-topped version of the limited edition hybrid hypercar, with a total of 963hp. This was apparently launched to celebrate Ferrari's 70th anniversary, and the Italian company told us more about its birthday plans in Paris, including the production of 350 cars bearing one of 70 special liveries created by the company's Tailor Made atelier. Some of those were on hand in Paris including a bright green 488 Spider and a brown California T called "The Steve McQueen".
Fiat
Plenty to see on the Fiat stand from a buyer's perspective, but not much of it newsworthy, in truth. The chic Fiat 500 Riva made its debut, as did the 124 Spider 'America' and the 2017 Fiat Panda Cross. After that we're getting into new models with automatic gearbox options, which we won't bore you with.
Honda
While Paris was officially the European debut of the production ready Honda Civic hatchback (and very impressive it looks too with its fresh profile and new 1.0 and 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engines), the only car on the stand anyone was interested in was the Civic Type R 'prototype'. It even outshone the Honda NSX that was also on display. We're reliably informed that a production version of the CTR will come on stream later in 2017.
Hyundai
Like Honda, Hyundai reduced interest in its most relevant new model in Paris (the new i30 hatchback) by revealing a hot hatch concept called the RN30 that is said to strongly hint at how the first model from the Korean company's new 'N' performance division will look. Everyone seems to be expecting a fast version of the i30 with power north of 250hp. With all that going on it would have been easy to miss the updated Hyundai i10 also making its public debut.
Infiniti
We know, the Infiniti brand, a sub-division of Nissan, has no relevance to the Irish market as yet, though I wouldn't rule it out forever. In Paris, the company talked a lot about its advanced new VC-Turbo petrol engine, said to be the first ever production-ready variable compression ratio design on the market, mixing high power with impressive efficiency and low emissions. Expect Nissan and Renault to make use of this technology in time. For the record, Infiniti also displayed an updated Q50 sports saloon, its InTouch infotainment system and the latest iteration of the QX Sport Inspiration concept crossover.
Kia
Busy day for the Kia people in Paris. We saw an updated version of the excellent Carens people carrier, new variants for the Kia Soul range (including a 204hp turbocharged 1.6-litre petrol engine, which we don't expect to see in Irish showrooms) and, the biggest news of the stand, the world debut of an attractive new Kia Rio hatchback, set to take on the likes of the Ford Fiesta.
Land Rover
We spent most of the day before the show opened with Land Rover, going through its new seven-seat Discovery model in fine detail. It's an impressive machine in every way, though the design of the rear hatch is causing debate... Irish sales start in late Spring at somewhere north of €60,000.
Lexus
Star of the Lexus stand was a new concept car, the UX. Lexus is adamant that it's not a hint at another crossover in the range, but instead a thought-provoking look at how the Lexus design language could evolve. There's a new take on the spindle grille, bespoke off-road tyres, attractive body sculpting, a distinctly sporty stance and, inside, cool-looking 'Kinetic' seats that look like a spider's web, complemented by hologram-like displays.
Maserati
Nothing major from Maserati in Paris. It was the company's first chance to show the public what its updated Quattroporte and Ghibli saloons look like, with minor exterior and interior revisions, better infotainment and up to date technology options.
Mercedes-AMG
We could have lumped AMG and Benz together, but there's a lot to talk about. Mercedes-AMG launched its spectacular GT R model in Paris, alongside the new GT Roadster and GT C Roadster - and the slightly less exciting GLC 43 Coupe. On top of all that it confirmed that it would develop a new hybrid hypercar sharing technology with the Formula One team.
Mercedes-Benz
Ahead of the show, we received full details of the rather appealing new Mercedes-Benz E-Class All-Terrain estate and in Paris, Mercedes whipped the covers off its vision of the future in the shape of the Generation EQ concept car. It's an all-electric SUV/estate/coupe thingy with lots of power and a 500km range. Obviously it's also pure fantasy at this stage. However, it previews the company's new 'product brand for electric mobility', EQ, which apparently stands for 'Electric Intelligence'. Yeah, we know there's no 'Q' to be found there.
MINI
We half expected MINI to launch its all-new Countryman SUV in Paris, but it wasn't to be, so its sole newsworthy exhibit was the new John Cooper Works Clubman estate. It's powered by the familiar 231hp engine, but this time is paired with All4 four-wheel drive.
Mitsubishi
Mitsubishi brought along an updated version of the ASX crossover to Paris, but its weirdly named Ground Tourer-PHEV Concept (makes more sense as just the 'GT-PHEV') stole the show. It's a very cool large SUV concept we hope points the way forward for the Japanese brand, massive as it is.
Nissan
More small car big news here, this time the first viewing of the 2017 Nissan Micra. Taking more than a little design influence from the Nissan Sway concept, the new Micra banishes memories of the awkward looking outgoing car with a shape that manages to be modern, stylish and interesting. The interior appears to be a big step in the right direction too.
Opel
We would have paid Opel's stand in Paris a lot more attention if the new Ampera-e electric car was coming to Ireland, but for some reason it's not being made in right-hand drive. To tease you further, it comes with a claimed 500km range. But you can't buy one, so ignore that and instead check out the new Mokka X, updated Zafira Tourer and the seemingly pointless Karl Rocks...
Peugeot
The second French manufacturer on our list didn't disappoint, though there were no surprises as such in store at the show. Instead, we got countless examples of the new Peugeot 3008 and 5008 to try out for size (including the 3008 DKR racer and the sporty looking 3008 GT) - and came away impressed. In case you've missed it, the 3008 has gone from awkward looking gerbil of a crossover to a handsome, spacious and seemingly high-quality SUV. The 5008, meanwhile, is no longer a drab, but useful MPV; it is now a stocky, upright and damned attractive seven-seat SUV, sharing a lot with the smaller 3008. It's not quite as big as the new Skoda Kodiaq, but it'll answer many an Irish family's prayers with its flexible seating layout and room for three child seats in the second row.
Porsche
Hybrid power took over the Porsche stand in Paris, where the German company launched its new plug-in hybrid Panamera, though welcome relief could be found in the shape of the monstrous new 911 GT3 Cup race car with 485hp. Apparently it's the world's best-selling race car.
Renault
Last of the French car makers is Renault, and it didn't disappoint with its Paris offering. The obvious headline grabber was its unveiling of a gorgeous concept sports car called the Trezor, but actually, the biggest story is the launch of an updated Renault Zoe with a much longer range - up to 400km, in fact. Given that several car makers were talking about that level of range for future models, that's quite an achievement by Renault to bring it to the showroom now.
SEAT
The Spanish division of Volkswagen is still in the process of bringing its impressive new Ateca crossover to market so it wasn't about to detract from that in Paris. Instead, it put together a special show car based on the Ateca called the X-Perience. Think of it as the more rugged side of the Ateca, for those that might actually dare to take it off-road. We fully expect it to hit production at some stage. While checking it out, we heard news of a brand new SEAT Ibiza coming in 2017 and an SUV model based on its underpinnings called the Arona.
Skoda
Only one model mattered to the Czech brand in Paris and that was its new Kodiaq SUV, an impressively huge seven-seat car we're expecting to be a huge hit in Ireland when it arrives early next year.
Smart
The Smart brand isn't currently represented in Ireland (and it unlikely to be any time soon), so the world debut in Paris of the company's three 'electric drive' models (Fortwo, Cabrio and Forfour) won't cause many ripples of interest amongst our readers.
SsangYong
Apparently the LIV-2 concept (Limitless Interface Vehicle) is the final show car before SsangYong brings its new Rexton replacement to market in 2017. Alongside it in Paris were moderately updated versions of the SsangYong Tivoli and the extended XLV variant.
Suzuki
We found ourselves curiously drawn to the new Suzuki Ignis in Paris. It's a quirky little crossover with unique styling and powertrains shared with the Baleno. Could be a hit here if Suzuki can get the message out about it.
Toyota
There was nothing on the Toyota stand in Paris we'd class as all-new, though it was the European debut for the bizarre FCV Plus fuel cell prototype, a plug-in version of the Prius hybrid and, an important car for Toyota, the C-HR crossover. The latter is sized and priced to compete with the Nissan Qashqai so it'll be interesting to see if the no-diesel strategy pays off.
Volkswagen
Volkswagen's theme for this year's Paris Motor Show focused on the future, with hybrid and electric power at the centre of it all. Star of the stand was the cool I.D. concept hatchback, which apparently previews a 2020 production model of around Golf proportions with a 500km range on electric power.