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Paris. It's Europe's last big motor show of the year, and TG.com has dispatched many, many reporters to wander the expo's vast halls in pursuit of all the most important news.
We'll be updating this gallery with the latest stories and pictures as the show goes on, so stay tuned. Click on through for all the biggest cars of the autumn...
Advertisement - Page continues belowLamborghini Asterion Concept
"This is the Lamborghini Asterion. The official word is that it's a ‘technology demonstrator', although anyone who knows their Lamborghini history, or classic car onions, will recognise a gentleman's transcontinental express when they see one."
Volkswagen XL Sport Concept
"This is the XL Sport, a superbiked-engined, sports-car iteration of VW's eco-hyper-pod XL1, unveiled on the eve of the Paris show. A one-off design study, the XL Sport is the 200 millionth car produced by the VW Group, and a fitting way to mark that slightly terrifying landmark."
Advertisement - Page continues belowFerrari 458 Speciale A
"A stands for Aperta, which, if you know your Italian (or your old Ferrari specials), translates as 'Open'. No prizes for guessing it's the long rumoured Speciale spider, then, and despite having no fancy hybrid tech or dihedral doors, it's stolen a chunk of the Paris headlines."
Mercedes-AMG GT
"It's finally here. After teasing us for several months, including a highly informative ride in a heavily camouflaged prototype, Mercedes has finally whipped the covers off the new Mercedes AMG GT proper. It effectively replaces the SLS AMG, but does so in a very different part of the sports car market. Watch your back, Porsche 911."
Honda Civic Type R
"Ahead of a UK launch sometime next year - Honda has again confirmed that the new Civic Type R will feature a 2.0-litre petrol engine producing more than 276bhp.This, says Honda, makes the new Civic hot hatch more powerful than any previous Civic, Integra, Accord and even the NSX. Fast, then."
Mercedes-AMG C63
"This is the new Mercedes-AMG C63. An interesting name, considering it doesn't feature a 6.3-litre V8, and, like the new AMG GT supercar, doesn't feature ‘Benz' in its official tag either. What the new C63 does feature, however, is a whole dollop of fast. Welcome to Mercedes' bruising comeback to the new BMW M3 and M4."
Advertisement - Page continues belowAudi TT Sportback Concept
"The Audi TT is reproducing, and it's dipping into other areas of the gene pool to do it. As well as the familiar coupe and convertible, this Paris show car posits the idea of a five-door TT Sportback. Well, it worked for the A5 and better still on the A7, so hey, why not?"
Peugeot Quartz Concept
"This is the Peugeot Quartz Concept; a four-wheel-drive hybrid crossover with more horsepower than a BMW M3. Wait, what? Thanks to a drivetrain developed by Peugeot Sport, this concept promises the 'punch of more high-performance models'. Thems be fighting words."
Advertisement - Page continues belowJaguar XE
"The XE, we're told, is the stiffest, slipperiest Jaguar ever built (stop it), with a drag coefficient of just 0.26. Standard kit includes an eight-inch touchscreen hosting sat nav and DAB digital radio. Optional is a laser head-up display (frickin' lasers'!), which Jag claims is the brightest ever offered on a production car."
Land Rover Discovery Sport
"Meet the Land Rover Discovery Sport. It's basically the new Freelander - a car that's been around some 17 years, spanning two generations - and justifies its new name with a handful of clever tricks."
Volvo XC90
"Underpinning this new XC90 - and all next-generation Volvos - is the Scalable Product Architecture, which is a modular skeleton that allows Volvo lots of flexibility. Things like different powertrains, electrical systems and various tech things are all possible without designers worrying about the fundamentals of wheelbase, overhangs and vehicle height. The upshot of this new tech is that this new XC90 promises "the agility of a much smaller and lower car", according to Volvo senior VP Dr Peter Mertens. It's still big, though, so we'd avoid booking that year-long pass to the Nürburgring just yet."
Renault Espace
"The Renault Espace: a name synonymous with ‘MPV', having brought the people carrier to the masses thirty years ago. And fittingly, an Espace one-two took the chequered flag in Hammond's inaugural people carrier race on the telly. Well, the fifth-generation Espace emerged from under a very large cover at the Paris motor show. And if you thought people carriers were becoming a little old-hat, as families throw all their paraphernalia into high-riding SUVs, then Renault has a riposte for you."
Renault Eolab Concept
"The Eolab is much more than a slinky piece of eye-candy. It embodies two years'-worth of intensive engineering research and more than 100 innovations in powertrain efficiency, light weight and low drag. And it works. Top Gear has driven it."
Mazda MX-5
"It's engineered to provide a greater dose of that MX-5 speciality: sharp reactions and a transparent connection between you and the road. People who've driven prototypes say it combines even more agility than before, with a more suppler ride. This should help it cope with our trademarked Great British Rubbish Tarmac. Unfortunately these people work for Mazda so are biased. We'll have to see for ourselves next year."
Citroen Divine DS Concept
"The madness of the exterior gives way to full-blown lunacy once you've opened the doors. ‘Hyper-typage' is Citroen's addition to the ever-expanding dictionary of annoying concept words, and refers to the bewildering array of customisation options available. Three ‘dress codes' (yes, really) for the dashboard and doors are named ‘Mâle', ‘Parisian Chic' and ‘Fatale Punk'."
Infiniti Q80
"Its design communicates Infiniti's values of 'seduction and mystery', apparently, and it has an 'unmistakably romantic presence' said Infiniti design chief Alfonso Albaisa. Well, something similar is coming to production, but without the clap-hands doors and four individual seats, maybe. But the 550bhp hybrid drivetrain, including 440bhp of all-new three-litre twin-turbo V6 and nine-speed auto, will survive to production."
Toyota C-HR Concept
"It's called the C-HR Concept, and it looks quite unlike anything you'll currently find in a Toyota showroom. Which is to say bold and beguiling as opposed to a little bit boring (GT86 excepted, of course).It's essentially a future design study, hosting ‘the introduction of themes which signal a future direction for Toyota vehicles', but it's also the clearest hint yet that Toyota has the Nissan Juke in its crosshairs. Toyota helped bring the SUV to the mainstream via the original RAV4 20 years ago, lest we forget."
Peugeot Exalt Concept
"A new version of Peugeot's Exalt concept has made its debut at the Paris motor show. Although it's received a few updates before meeting its home crowd. There's a new livery and a different interior finish to the version we saw a few months ago in Beijing. An ebony wood interior has been replaced inside by recycled ‘newspaper wood', made from crushed up business papers (picked for the pink hue they bring, and a familiar sight to BMW i3 owners). Outside, the rust-red sharkskin (yes, sharkskin) has been replaced with a subtler, grey tone. It's still sharkskin. OK, synthetic 'sharkskin'."
BMW 2-Series Convertible
"The new BMW M235i Convertible. It's the first convertible ‘M Performance' car (think of it as a Diet M Division car), and like the Coupe, comes with that lovely 3.0-litre turbocharged straight-six engine. You're looking at 326bhp and a 0-62mph time of 5.2 seconds (or indeed five dead, if you choose the eight-speed auto gearbox). There's also a handy 332lb ft of torque on offer between 1,300rpm and 4,500rpm, and a limited top speed of 155mph. BMW tells us the suspension and damping characteristics of this drop-top M car have been tweaked to cope with "the requirements of the open body style", the roof's motors, levers and mechanisms accounting for the extra 70kg of bulk over its Coupe brother."
Ford S-Max
"Essentially the production version of the posh S-Max Vignale concept, it's a smart looking thing - certainly in the MPV segment - but has it lost a bit of its design mojo? Or has the pleasant surprise of the S-Max making kiddie-carrying less staid simply worn off a bit?"
Audi TT Roadster
"You probably saw this one coming. Six months after we first set eyes on the third generation TT, Audi has whipped out the angle grinder and taken the roof off. The TT Roadster is a little more cultured than that, of course. The roof is an electronically folding soft-top, which can open or close in 10 seconds at speeds of up to 31mph. Something that's even handier than it sounds in changeable weather or when trying (and failing) to execute a traffic light roof closure."
Bentley Mulsanne Speed
"This is the brand new Bentley Mulsanne ‘Speed', and that suffix is indeed most appropriate. It's fast. How fast? We'll get to that shortly. First, you must know that Bentley's engineers have tuned the 6.75-litre twin-turbo V8 up front, with that monster engine now producing 530bhp and a simply gargantuan 811lb ft of torque; a rise from 505bhp/752lb ft."
Volkswagen Polo GTI
"This new Polo GTI ditches the old 1.4-litre twin-charged four-pot for a 1.8-litre turbocharged motor, here producing 189bhp - 12bhp more than before - and 236lb ft of torque. A six-speed manual gearbox will be standard (with the option of VW's venerable seven-speed DSG) driving the front wheels, to record a 0-62mph time of 6.7 seconds - a mite quicker than a Fiesta ST - and top speed of 147mph. Not too shabby, you'll agree."
Ford Mondeo
"The fourth generation of the Blue Oval's big family car first bared its squinting face at the Detroit motor show in 2012, when we were told America would get to buy it first (it's badged the Fusion over there), with European sales following in 2013. They didn't. But, after being pushed back a couple of times, UK sales will actually start towards the end of this year. Why the delay? A troublesome car market and financial worries for Ford of Europe, that's why. But the Mondeo's here at last, so what's the score?"
Peugeot 308 GT
"This is the hardest and fastest Peugeot 308 you can buy - the GT. It's a step in the direction of a full-blooded GTI or even 'R' hot hatch which we spoke to Peugeot about late last year, but we'll come to that shortly. First up, this new GT gets a swathe of upgrades to better justify that badge."
Smart Forfour & Fortwo
"Stand by, all you dwellers in postcodes where prices are high and space short. This is the new Smart. Or rather these are the new Smarts. Because all at once we've got the new Fortwo and also its Forfour non-identical twin. The Forfour is pretty much a stretched version of the two-seater, with extra doors. The two cars share their front and rear designs, the dash, rear-mounted powertrain and the suspension."
Skoda Fabia
"This is the new Fabia, and it is the first Skoda model to debut the company's new design language we first saw on the ‘VisionC' concept. In other words, it's Skoda's attempt at injecting a little character and ‘emotion' into its little supermini. Though it's not that little anymore. So far Skoda has told us this new Fabia gets more interior space than before, and boasts the largest boot capacity in its class."
BMW X6
"We might have wasted few opportunities to say that the last X6 was a vulgar machine with a fat backside and a stuff-you outlook. But hey, that didn't stop a showroom stampede. Around the world, BMW sold an astounding quarter of a million of the things in its lifetime. And they'll sell some more yet, because it's still on offer. This new one doesn't actually go on sale until the end of this year."
Honda HR-V
"The Honda HR-V is back. Sixteen years after the original practically invented the crossover genre, it has returned to reap the benefits of the market's huge popularity, though it's a little more reserved than it used to be. The new HR-V appears to be almost identical to the Honda Vezel in terms of styling, a curiously named model which went on sale at the beginning of the year in Japan."
Vauxhall Corsa
"Here's the new Vauxhall Corsa. Squint at its outline and you'll see the ghost of the old one, but all the panels are new, and so is the interior, most of the engines, most of the suspension, and the whole structure forward of the windscreen. So they're being fair in calling it a new car. Does it carry the proportions and glazing of the old one for any reason other than expediency? Well Vauxhall claims that Corsa buyers, of whom there are lots, actually very much liked the size of the old car as well as its basic look. The supermini class has stopped growing, and the Corsa too retains its 4m length. People want compactness. The old car was well-packaged, so again the new one doesn't mess with the cabin space."
Hyundai i20
"This is the all-new i20, a supermini described by its South Korean manufacturer as ‘confirming Hyundai's position as a truly European automaker'. Whuh? Turns out this isn't a case of extreme geographic confusion. Instead, Hyundai tells us its new Fiesta/Polo/Corsa rival has been designed and developed in Europe to ‘meet the needs of European consumers'. European consumers and their fat fingers."
Citroen C1 Urban Ride Concept
"Need a plastic-bumpered, open-roofed city car in your life? Well, put the Adam Rocks brochure down for just a second - you now have CHOICE! Vauxhall appeared to have found its own niche (and with good reason, some may argue) with the Adam, but Citroen is set to gatecrash its party with this new C1 Urban Ride, a crossover-convertible version of its dinky city car."
Ford C-Max
"Ford has revealed the new versions of its C-Max five-seat compact MPV and the slightly bigger seven-seat Grand C-Max. Wait, come back! These new cars get the carmaker's ‘One Ford' design language: fresh head- and fog- lamps, a smoother tailgate and a restyled bonnet. Inside, there are fewer controls and switches, simpler functionality and a redesigned centre storage console - about time, as Ford interiors were starting to feel dated and cluttered. You can of course, spec higher quality trim finishes too."
Suzuki Vitara
"Pare back the turquoise paint, give it some lightbars and apply an ambitious and not-at-all rubbish self-deploying spike strip. What you're left with is Richard Hammond's new police car. We jest, of course. It's actually the all-new Suzuki Vitara which will arrive in Suzuki dealerships next spring."
Mercedes-Benz B-Class
"It's mid-life update time for Merc's second generation B, a car we actually quite like in a sensible, posh family transport kind of way. The timing of its refresh with the launch of the BMW 2-Series Active Tourer is doubtless more than a coincidence. So what's in the Merc's armour to tackle its new German foe? Outside, it's facelift by numbers - new bumpers, lights and a shinier grille give it a sportier look than before, while inside the infotainment screen is larger."
Honda Civic Sport
"Our increasingly impatient wait for the new Civic Type-R continues. Honda has been drip-feeding its latest hot hatch for a little while now - we've even driven a prototype - but the real thing won't land until 2015. To try and placate us in the meantime, the Japanese firm is taking this smartly appointed Civic Sport to the Paris motor show."
Fiat 500X
"This is the 500X, Fiat's micro-crossover answer to the Renault Captur and Nissan's Juke. Unveiled at the Paris show, the 500X - a first cousin to the Jeep Renegade - will arrive in the UK in spring next year in both front- and four-wheel drive flavours... and with the choice of two body styles. Actually, ‘bodystyles' might be a bit strong. As with the Panda, the 500X will be joined by a 500X, which adds more cladding and a mite more off-road focus."
Vauxhall Adam S
"This feisty little bugger is the new Vauxhall Adam ‘S'; the hardest and fastest version of Vauxhall's Mini-baiting supermini you can buy. The Adam S gets Vauxhall's turbocharged 1.4-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, here developing a shade under 150bhp and 162lb ft of torque."
Nissan Pulsar Nismo
"The Nissan Pulsar GTI-R remains an iconic name for a certain generation. Specifically, the generation that enjoyed wearing baseball caps, loved the sound of turbo chatter and liked their cars with bulging, slatted bonnets. Time to party like it's 1991. Today at the Paris motor show Nissan pulled the sheets from the GTI-R's successor, the Nissan Pulsar Nismo."
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