Paris Motor Show

Last week, despite the growing civil unrest that has swept the streets of Paris the European car industry put on a fantastic display of new product at the Modial de l’Auto show. After an absence since 2024 the Paris Motor Show reflected an anxious European car industry trying to put on a brave face against a barrage of new Chinese built models anxious to make a statement in Paris. Chinese manufacturers made up nearly half the floor space with 25 out of the 61 brands on show.

There were some notable no shows however with Toyota, Porsche, BMW and Nissan absent however the Chinese newcomers more than filled the void. Perhaps the car that stole the show was the long-awaited concept of the next Citroen 2CV. This diminutive reborn small car with enormous charm is expected to make production in 2028 with a sticker around Aud $24,000.

Having all of the old-world charm of the original this latest EV interpretation of the Citroen 2CV could well find favour with a new generation. An extremely popular concept at the show I can’t see it crossing a ploughed field without breaking the farmers eggs like the original, especially with those low-profile tyres. Sadly, with Citroen no longer available on the local market we’ll miss this interesting small car.

At the other end of the automotive spectrum Alfa Romeo previewed the next Giulia, the slinky Cuorerosso GT (Red Heart), a stunning styling exercise.

Parent company Stellantis suggests the Alfa Romeo V6 Giulia Cuorerosso GT sedan concept will feature all-wheel drive and a 2.9-liltre V6 engine with hybrid assistance for the first time to boost fuel economy and reduce emissions.

As well as the sensuous exterior the Cuoreosso interior features a driver focused cockpit akin to that of an aircraft.

BYD previewed their new seven-seat Atto 8 SUV, a fully electric version of the BYD Sealion 8 hybrid the Atto 8 promises a 653km range and a claim charge time of just nine minutes from 10 to 97 percent, using the company’s dedicated Flash Charging in use in China and which the company plans to install in Australia in the not-too-distant future. The Atto SUV will also be available in an all-wheel-drive version with a potent 570kW of power.

BYD’s luxury arm also gave the European sports car makers something to think about with the reveal of its striking Z supercar that will be available in the coupe, spider convertible and motorsport formats.

Peugeot were quick to respond showing off two performance concepts including this Vision RCZ, resurrecting the French company’s popular coupe model in EV with 600km of range and promising 375kW of power. Hopefully, with parent Stellantis set to take over distribution of Peugeot in Australia we may end up seeing this exciting electric coupe.

Remember the original Smart car from the 1990s. After moving to SUVs the brand now owned by Mercedes-Benz and Geely in China has re-invented the small two-seat city car in electric form. The production Smart #2 is an electric rear- wheel drive hatchback that is just 2.7 metres long with a 6.9-metre turning circle.

Audi showed off their cool A2 e-tron electric compact city car with a 646km range and a very slippery profile.

Already on sale in Europe from around $60,000 it is unsure when this small EV hatch will reach our shores – Audi claim an efficient usage rate of just 12 kWh/100km.

From Renault, the E-Space concept people mover shares French flair and  innovation with six swivelling individual seats and a panoramic dashboard.

Also from the French car maker – the Renault 8 Gordini was shown as a rear-drive electric sports coupe concept inspired by the original from the 1960’s.

The Chinese presence at the Paris Show was all about SUV’s and here the XPeng G9L six or seven seat SUV featured the company’s VLA 2.0 system, a rival to Tesla’s self-driving technology for hands off navigation in city traffic. The G0L will be built in Europe to skirt EU tariffs featuring a 591 km driving range and a charging speed of less than 12 minutes. Will come to Australia with the option of a range-extender hybrid powertrain offering 1200km of combined driving range.

A shooting brake shown by the premium arm of Changan the AVATR 06T will arrive down under in the latter half of 2027 featuring a high tech cabin and 700kW of power in three-motor AWD form.

The AVATR 06T owes its shooting brake design origin partially to Munich

The Stellantis Group had a strong presence at the Paris Motor Show and the contribution by its Italian manufacturer Fiat was an interesting Multiplay concept – combining a seven-seat MPV seating with SUV proportion and the ability to transform into an open-tray ute. Its sliding rear body module converts the three-row layout into a four-seat pick-up at the touch of a button.