Paris Motor Show preview
Looking at some of the stars of next week's motor show
With the 2008 Paris motor show looming, here’s a brief rundown of some of the stars. Citroen GT Concept - Citroen has teamed up with Sony’s Gran Turismo brand in teasing us with pictures of a chiseled, sporty GT car slinkily wearing a red sheet. It looks incredibly good, but its exact purpose isn’t clear yet. A range-topping halo model? A new GT racer? In Paris, we’ll know. All-new Lamborghini – An all new model which has been partially revealed via a series of sneaky teasing shots. A variety of sources are talking about a four-door, four-seater saloon while others have mentioned a hardcore send-off for the Murcielago. Just a few days left waiting to find out... Ferrari California - Ferrari’s new hard-top convertible with a direct injection 4.3-litre V8 and seven-speed double-clutch transmission. Pictures and videos have been doing the rounds on the web but this will be the first public unveiling of the new supercar. Peugeot 908 - Peugeot looks likely to take its new Hybrid 908 Le Mans racer to Paris, which mates a diesel engine to battery power. It can reduce consumption, but in Le Mans, the big boost in power is probably a bit more apt. VW Golf GTI – The all-new Volkswagen hot hatch isn’t a massive step forward from the Mk5, but manages to squeeze in a few more styling cues to the iconic first and second generations of GTI. Power is up 10bhp to 207, while emissions are down. As mature as ever, then. Mercedes ConceptFASCINATION – A shooting brake concept that previews the styling of the next E-Class range. Going on these grounds, it should be a smart-looker with great promise for the AMG version. It also gives us a clue to the styling of the ‘new CLK’, which this time around will be the E-Class Coupe. Mercedes S400 BlueHYBRID - An S350 with an electric powertrain for additional power under hard acceleration in the vein of the Lexus LS600h. It will be the first use of lithium-ion batteries in a production car. Saab 9-X Air BioHybrid Concept - related to the 9-X BioHybrid shown ealier this year at the Geneva Motor Show, that previewed the forthcoming Saab 9-1 production car. It uses the same 197bhp 1.4-litre BioPower engine but differs in having a folding canvas roof. Audi A1 - Featuring much of the Metroproject concept’s styling cues, except now in four-door guise, this will be Audi’s rival to the Mini and Alfa Romeo Mito slated for sale in 2009. It’ll be a lot less niche than the Audi A2 supermini of several years ago. Renault Megane - Replacement to the one with the odd bottom, Paris will boast the world premiere of the Megane Coupe (or three-door, to the rest of us) as well as the five-door which launches here late November. Prices range from £13,995 to £18,795, until the fiery Renaultsport versions turn up.Seat Ibiza Cupra – Looking four-fifths like the Bocanegra concept (with tweaks to make it just like the highly-rated show car mentioned), the latest hot Ibiza should prove to be a bit more fun and a bit less grown-up than the outgoing Cupra, thanks to the VW group’s 1.4-litre turbo and supercharged engine producing 176bhp, via the excellent seven-speed DSG twin-clutch gearbox. Fiat 500 Abarth SS - Or if you are Italian, the Fiat Cinquecento Abarth Essesse‚ is finally to be unveiled to the public having spent the past few months in the hands of testers. Expect stern opposition for the Mini Cooper S from the feisty hatchback. Audi RS6 Saloon - With the same insane 580bhp twin-turbo 5.0-Litre V10 in the Avant, expect similar performance which should leave faint-hearted supercars trailing in its bulging wheel-arched wake. Ford Ka - Production version of Ford’s new city car, which has had input from Jackie Stewart in the suspension tuning department. Expect lively handling to go along with its sporty, Fiesta-inspired looks.
