The 2006 Paris Motor Show, known as Mondial de L'Automobile to our French friends, runs from September 30 to October 15 and we were of course present on the first two press days preceding the main show. As with all international shows this year, the exhibition halls were full to bursting of new cars and concepts. Here's the quick run-down. If you want more information along with extensive image galleries, click on the individual brands above.
Alfa Romeo
The production version of the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione debuted in Paris, along with the announcement that only 500 lucky owners will get the keys. Significantly, some of those owners will be in the USA, signalling a return for Alfa Romeo. In the press conference, it was also admitted that Alfa Romeo is working on a compact, fun to drive car. This is thought to be a spiritual descendant of the Alfasud.
Aston Martin
No sign of Bond's DBS in Paris, but Aston Martin did release a new gearbox option for the V8 Vantage. Dubbed the 'Sportshift', this new option is no ordinary automatic, instead going down the route of electro-hydraulic actuation of a manual gearbox. Steering wheel paddles are included for changes, with reverse, neutral and the auto mode selected via buttons.
Audi
The 261bhp Audi S3 was launched in Paris and it was a wise choice to paint one of the show cars bright orange, or it may have been ignored next to the incredible new R8 supercar. The first iteration of Audi's new supercar is powered by the same 4.2-litre V8 found under the bonnet of the RS4, though we also expect a diesel version...
BMW
BMW focussed on the new
3 Series Coupe in Paris along with the refreshed X3 range. Surprisingly, the new X5 (details of which have been released) won't be revealed until the
LA Auto Show.
Citroen
At its home show Citroen revealed its impressive new C4 Picasso MPV and the fantastic C-Métisse concept diesel-electric hybrid concept supercar, though capturing the show goers' attention will be a special Citroen DS that 'transforms' into a robot!
Dodge
Dodge showed the new Avenger concept car for the 'D' segment, indicating how serious DaimlerChrysler is about the European marketplace.
Ferrari
Though there was no new metal on the Ferrari stand, the one-off Enzo-based Ferrari 612 P4/5 designed and built by Pininfarina (for a rather wealthy client) made an appearance on the Pininfarina stand.
Fiat
The only new car on Fiat's stand was the 100HP Panda, displayed astride the massive Ducato Truckster concept.
Ford
Ford displayed the Mondeo Estate 'concept' with styling influenced by the stunning iosis concept car shown at the
2005 Frankfurt Motor Show and surprised the media by unveiling the iosis X concept car that previews a new Focus-based SUV. An S-MAX Sport was also on show.
Honda
One of the most eagerly awaited of the vast number of new hot hatches is Honda's Civic Type R. Finally we got to see the production version in Paris. The all-new CR-V also got its world debut and we spotted a concept 'Sports' version of the Civic Hybrid.
Hyundai
A radically facelifted Hyundai Coupé was recently shown in China, and as predicted we witnessed that car's European debut in Paris. Hyundai also showed a new concept called the Arnejs, said to closely point to the next C-segment production car from Hyundai.
Jaguar
Jaguar wheeled out the new XKR for the world's press, following its debut at the
London Motor Show, but there were no new cars on the stand in Paris.
Kia
Following on from its stylish cee'd concept car shown at
this year's Geneva Motor Show, Kia revealed its new family car, the cee'd, along with a station wagon derivative and the pro_cee'd concept that shows how the three-door version will look.
Lancia
Having pulled out of the UK, Lancia is now in an upwards spiral with a return to Britain amongst its ambitions. Helping to achieve that will be an all-new Lancia Delta, previewed in Paris by the Delta HPE concept car. Lancia management are adamant that this car is very near to the production car. The little Ypsilon was shown in facelifted format in Paris too.
Land Rover
The new Defender, complete with a new engine, gearbox and interior made its world debut at the Paris Show, as did the Range Rover Sport fitted with Land Rover's new V8 diesel engine.
Mazda
In Paris, Mazda revealed the European version of the CX-7 crossover and the superb Senku concept car we saw at last year's Tokyo Show.
Mercedes-Benz
The massive new CL-Class coupe made its public debut in Paris along with the top of the range CL 63 AMG version (which looks fantastic it must be said). The S 63 AMG also received its premiere and the upgraded SLR McLaren 722 Edition was on display.
MINI
Though the new MINI's styling is not very far removed from the current car, it is an important new car for the company and received the corresponding attention in Paris.
Mitsubishi
America and Japan already have their own versions of the new Outlander crossover and finally we got to see ours in Paris, though Mitsubishi is tagging it a concept for some bizarre reason. Making its showroom-ready world debut was the heavily facelifted Mitsubishi Pajero (Shogun in Britain), alongside the 2007 Dakar Evolution race version.
Nissan
Nissan gave the Qashqai its first public viewing at the show. The Pathfinder was also shown in 2007 MY guise and the Micra range gained a new edition.
Peugeot
Stars of the Peugeot stand were the new 908 Le Mans car and the snazzy Spider 207 racer. New versions of the Peugeot 207 featured on the Peugeot stand, including the GT Turbo and the 207 epure, a fuel-cell concept based on the forthcoming 207CC. Also on display was the outrageous 908RC, a four-door saloon concept car powered by the 908's 5.5-litre V12 HDi engine.
Porsche
It was the first time that the 911 GT3 RS and the 911 Targa (along with the world premiere of the Targa 4S) will have been shown in public, along with the upgraded Boxster and Boxster S and the new entry-level Porsche Cayman.
Renault
Concept cars dominated the Renault stand, from the luxury four-seat Nepta convertible to the near production Koleos SUV and the very cool Twingo concept car, the latter bearing all the hallmarks of a great new supermini.
SEAT
The new, stretched SEAT Altea, called the Altea XL, made its world debut in Paris.
Skoda
Skoda displayed the new soft-roading Octavia Scout in Paris, based on the 4x4 Octavia Estate, as well as a new small concept called Joyster. This concept will hopefully influence the design of the Fabia replacement.
Suzuki
Japanese buyers have already enjoyed the three-door Suzuki Swift Sport and the Paris Show is the official launch of the car in Europe. Suzuki also showed a concept car called Splash, which is based on the floorpan of the Swift, but is likely to take on the role of mini-MPV when it morphs into a production model.
Toyota
As predicted, the Corolla name will be dropped when the car is replaced. The new generation is to be called the Auris, as was a gold concept version shown in Paris. Enthusiasts will be glad to see that the sporty new Yaris TS was also launched.
Vauxhall/Opel
The new Antara SUV made its world debut on the General Motors stand with Opel badging. Though good-looking, it doesn't come close to the concept car it takes its name from. An upgraded Vectra VXR was also on show. The only concept was the Corsavan, which is thought to preview the first hot new Corsa, likely to be called the SRi.
Volkswagen
The cool new Iroc concept car that previews an all-new VW Scirocco was the star of the VW stand. Not so eye-catching, but quite significant in terms of sales is a range update for the Touran MPV and a facelift for the Touareg.
Volvo
The stylish new Volvo C30 was shown to the world in final production format at the Paris Show.
Our images and words are still being added to the site at the time of writing (October 4th), so check back over the next few days.
The official show site is
www.mondial-automobile.com.
