2016 Paris Motor Show

Renault Trezor concept

The Paris Motor Show...or should I say Mondial de l'Automobile? It's a show I particularly look forward to in the motoring calendar, sometimes surpassing others.
It maybe down to the ease of the journey. A relatively short hop on the Eurostar from Ebbsfleet and a couple of hours later (after a pleasant croissant and leisurely read on the train) you're at Gard de Nord. As long as the Metro doesn't throw any curveballs, it's a doddle.
I also enjoy the show's themed exhibition. One of the halls is always set aside for a look at the history of the industry; whether its fashion used to promote products, taxis from around the world or historic commercial campaigns, it's always a pleasure to take a step back and look where we've come from. This year the theme was 'Cars used on the silver screen' and exhibits included such luminaries as Herbie, Steve McQueen's Mustang from Bullitt and the Aston DB10 from Spectre.

Volkswagen ID concept

The show itself was impressive with a number of high profile launches. It's worth pointing out though that some manufacturers were notable by their absence. Ford, Volvo, Mazda and Lamborghini had all decided to give Paris a miss. Even so, there was still plenty to see.
World premieres came thick and fast...Land Rover Discovery 5, new Honda Civic, new Hyundai i30, Skoda Kodiaq, new Citroen C3, new Peugeot 3008/5008, new Kia Rio, revolutionary new Nissan Micra and second generation Audi Q5 were just some of the vehicles that made their debut in Paris this year.

LaFerrari Aperta - The Italian hypercar is even more breathtaking now it's morphed into an open-top   

Interesting highlights included the Renault Trezor concept with its automatic opening canopy. Like the DeZir concept of 2010, the Trezor will usher in Renault's next generation styling direction, still headed by Laurens van den Acker. With the successful modern design of Renault's current range, it'll be fascinating to see where the French firm goes from here. (This reminds me, cannot wait for the new Alpine sports car, especially after the thinly veiled concepts that have teased us for what seems like an eternity).
Over at Volkswagen, the ID concept was an interesting specimen; the overall shape looking closer to production that I had expected. A year on from the company's diesel emissions scandal breaking, Wolfsburg are keen to move onto a greener future. The ID electric concept will become one of a number of dedicated battery electric offerings in the brand's line-up from 2019. VW hope the production ID will become as iconic as the Mk1 Golf was at its launch in 1974.

Opel Ampera-e

Talking of electric cars for the people, I rather liked the Opel Ampera-e. A rebadged version of the American market Chevrolet Bolt, to my eyes this isn't a bad looking EV thanks to it being relatively distinctive whilst avoiding the overly 'cutesy' design of the Renault Zoe. (Talking of which, Renault launched a new 41kWh Zoe in Paris with an impressive range of 248 miles). The Ampera-e features a range of up to 310 miles although it remains to be seen what will be possible during real world driving. Still, it's a shame GM have decided not to offer it to British buyers. I think it would have complimented the smaller models in Vauxhall's line-up and opened up the Griffin badge to the ever growing number of EV buyers.
Next stop Geneva...

2017 Nissan Micra revealed

What was the biggest surprise at the Paris Motor Show?
Was it the added gorgeousness of having the roof chopped off the LaFerrari; the end result, the stunning Aperta?
Maybe it was the Volkswagen ID concept appearing closer to production than expected?
Or was it the likes of Ford, Volvo and Mazda deciding to pull out of exhibiting altogether? 
For me it was the humble Nissan Micra. It may not sound the coolest thing to say but what the heck...
The latest Japanese supermini is as far removed from the current Indian built model as it’s possible to be. Whereas the current model is rather tall, dated and pedestrian in its design, the new one has become all dynamic with strong, youthful lines flowing over the car’s bonnet, along its flanks to the rear light clusters. What used to be rather ungainly is now neat, attractive and well formed.
The interior is also a pleasant place to be with a modern dashboard architecture dominated by the now de rigour central touchscreen. It’s simple and all logically laid out. Cabin space seemed reasonable too although the high set rear window line may impede the view out for some.

 
What’s very clear is that the new Micra is clearly gunning for Europe’s top supermini contenders once more. We’ll have to wait to see how it drives but Nissan executives are confident it’ll deliver. 
Not sure there’ll be a NISMO hot hatch version though. What’s clear to me is that it would suit the design and dynamic character of the new Micra well and would give Nissan a way to muscle into Fiesta ST territory. It would also give the Micra added desirability in the form of a halo model to top off the range. 
The biggest challenge the new Micra will face will be to change people’s perceptions. I’ve written about the image problems the model has with certain demographics before, (see ‘Is it time to ditch the Micra’). Regardless of the name though, what’s clear is that this revolutionary new design should spice things up in Europe’s ever competitive supermini sector.

Land Rover Discovery 5

It was great to see JLR on the up and up in Paris. The new Discovery 5 is unsurprisingly a premium effort and will no doubt continue the model’s capable lineage; whether it’s on or off road. The question is though, is it too luxurious? 
With prices ranging from £43,495 to £65,695, the latest Discovery is treading on the toes of the £59,700 Range Rover Sport. Admittedly both are likely to appeal to slightly different customers, albeit both with deep pockets. 
The real interest for me will be the arrival of the new Defender in 2019, a model that will form the basis of Land Rover’s new ‘dual purpose’ range of cars, (with Discovery models sitting in the ‘leisure’ category and Range Rovers occupying the ‘luxury’ end). Defender models should return more utility based Land Rovers into the range.

Certain design elements of previous Discovery’s have made it to the new model including the interior’s stadium seating that affords rear seat passengers with a clearer view ahead. The Discovery’s rear end also keeps its asymmetrical design; a feature that’s been part of every model since its introduction in 1989.

The Rise of PSA?



Peugeot Fractal concept

It’s perhaps no surprise that France’s home-grown car brands were out in full force at the recent Paris Motor show. Renault, Peugeot, Citroen and DS were all present and correct with extensive stands drawing plenty of attention. 
As I was doing the rounds, getting immersed in the latest launches and show hubbub, I got to thinking how there seems to be growing confidence emanating from the three brands of the PSA Group, custodians of Peugeot, Citroen and DS Automobiles respectively.
It was only a few short years ago when PSA boss Carlos Tavares ushered in a drastic plan boldly labelled ‘Back in the Race’ following billion euro losses and a part-bailout by Chinese automotive concern Dongfeng along with the French government. Each bought a 13% stake in the French automaker. The plan brought about substantial cost cutting across the group along with a restructuring that set about focussing on the group’s core model range whilst increasing global vehicle platform efficiency.



Peugeot 3008

Fast forward to earlier this year and Tavares hailed the success of ‘Back in the Race’ with group profits announced bringing the company back into the black. The company admitted that this success had come earlier than expected thanks to tough decisions being made and a global determination to get the automaker back on top. PSA is said to be in a far more healthy position now with the announcement of the group’s second plan, ‘Push to Pass’.
In the words of Tesla, this 'plan part deux' is expected to focus on growth, aggressive product positioning and eventually a possible return to the US market, (the last time PSA were present in North America was with Peugeot in 1991).
After a brief look at Suzuki, (not sure about their new Ignis), I hopped over to Peugeot. My perception is that Peugeot out of the three PSA brands is the one where it needs to be in terms of their product offering. They have the youngest range out of the three with the oldest model being the 2011 508 saloon/SW. What’s more important is that Peugeot is attempting to head upmarket to become a semi-premium brand in the same mould as Volkswagen. This is especially important for PSA as it’ll allow Peugeot to successfully charge higher transaction prices and therefore create greater margins per unit sold.

 

Peugeot 5008

The buzz was all around the firm’s new 3008 and 5008 SUVs, two models that will be extremely important to Peugeot sales and their move upmarket. Out goes the rather frumpy design of the old 3008 crossover and rather plain 5008 MPV and in comes true SUV styling with both models appearing confident and contemporary within this most important of sectors. More consumers than
ever are being turned on by premium looking products; particularly towards the added high set security of SUVs. 
What impressed me most about this duo were their interiors with both sporting Peugeot’s second generation i-Cockpit dashboard architecture. Both featured high quality materials with a clean, uncluttered look. The classy look is heightened by the fitment of a fully digital instrument cluster, a clear nod to Audi. In fact I’d go so far as to say the interior cockpit design of these two SUVs are on a par with models from Ingolstadt.

Citroen C3

Next visit was to Citroen which has more work to do in terms of their overall range. A number of them are really showing their age, (I’m thinking C4 & C5) and are now well past the class best. What’s interesting is where Citroen's heading. The brand is beginning to show real confidence, particularly following the launch of the C4 Cactus of 2014.
Now headed by Brit Linda Jackson, Citroen unveiled the new C3 in Paris and it was evident that it’s a stand-out model due to the numbers of showgoers surrounding the new supermini. Citroen needs to be distinctive and the brand is due to focus on comfort and useful technology rather than sportiness or chasing premium aspirations. 
Despite this, Citroen are sticking with rallying. The new C3 WRC looked rather mean; hunkered down ready to do battle in next year’s campaign. It’ll certainly have some stiff competition from the likes of Hyundai, Toyota and Volkswagen. Citroen has historically missed a trick with their earlier dominance in WRC with little of their successes filtering into the brand’s offerings. In fact, the only car that springs to mind was the C4 by Loeb special edition; a rather lukewarm effort to say the least.

Citroen C3 WRC

There's still a couple of anomalies with Citroen. The first is the lack of any SUV in the range, an area where Citroen is really missing out on what with the huge sales volumes that this sector brings. I reckon Citroen could do with bringing their Aircross SUV concept into production sooner rather than later. The second is that of the EV. While many brands are starting to offer mainstream electric hatchbacks to tempt people into the growing world of alternative power, (think Nissan Leaf, Renault Zoe, Hyundai Ionic), Citroen puts its efforts into the e-MEHARI, something of a niche/niche offering if ever there was one. Its wipe down interior and basic design may find favour with Mediterranean city based rental agencies, but is unlikely to find widespread appeal elsewhere.

Citroen Cxperience concept

Finally to DS, or DS Automobiles to give it its full title. PSA’s new premium brand is a great idea and compliments the three prong brand strategy by allowing PSA to get a foothold in the lucrative upmarket sector where they hope to be rewarded with high profit margins per unit. It’ll be a slow burner though. At present, the DS 3, 4 and 5 are essentially facelifted Citroens with the first all new DS models not expected to come onto stream until 2018. Still, from small acorns… 
The DS E-Tense concept that debuted in Geneva was present which gives a clue as to where PSA wants to see the brand end up. A high performance electric powertrain powers the concept which to my eyes looks extremely handsome, despite the name sounding like a suppository brand...
As for their stand; it reminded me of Abercrombie and Fitch; all dark, boutique-like and smelling of high end cologne, albeit with no topless male models to be seen.

DS E-Tense concept

Time will tell if PSA are on the right track to long term sustainability and success. If Push to Pass along with the manufacturer’s latest offerings is anything to go by, PSA might just find a secure future ahead yet…