Truth be told, Paris can sometimes seem frozen in the past. Square miles of legendary architecture can almost dwarf any sense of futurism. But inside the Mondial Automobile, aka the Paris Auto Show, the atmosphere could not be any more different. With automakers from around the world debuting new models dripping with cutting edge technology and design, the fall’s biggest automotive showcase is a glimpse into the future.
With so many new models being unveiled in the City of Light, it would be next to impossible to showcase them all for you. So instead, we picked out 15 of the most ambitious, futuristic and important new concepts and production vehicles that were unveiled this week. Ranging from electric supercars to pint-sized city cars, these vehicles all present a taste of future amid surroundings steeped in history.
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Truth be told, Paris can sometimes seem frozen in the past. Square miles of legendary architecture can almost dwarf any sense of futurism. But inside the Mondial Automobile, aka the Paris Auto Show, the atmosphere could not be any more different. With automakers from around the world debuting new models dripping with cutting edge technology and design, the fall’s biggest automotive showcase is a glimpse into the future.
With so many new models being unveiled in the City of Light, it would be next to impossible to showcase them all for you. So instead, we picked out 15 of the most ambitious, futuristic and important new concepts and production vehicles that were unveiled this week. Ranging from electric supercars to pint-sized city cars, these vehicles all present a taste of future amid surroundings steeped in history.
Jaguar C-X75 Concept
This week’s big surprise at the Paris Motor Show was the range-extended electric supercar from Jaguar, the C-X75 Concept. Built to celebrate the marque’s 75th anniversary, the concept looks forward to the future while honoring Jaguar’s heritage and design. Featuring four electric motors producing 195 horsepower at each wheel, along with two micro-gas turbines that – in theory – charge the batteries, the C-X75 can top 205 mph and has a projected combined range of 560 miles.
2011 Audi A1 1.4 TFSI
Despite the success of the Mini Cooper and America’s newfound love of hatchbacks, Audi continues to deny us the all-new A1. Packing a 1.4-liter TFSI (read: both turbo and supercharged) inline four-cylinder engine, the A1 puts out 185 horsepower and 185 pound-feet of torque, sends it to the front wheels through a seven-speed S tronic gearbox and can sprint to 60 in 6.9 seconds on its way to a top speed of 141 mph.
Nissan Townpod
Nissan has revealed its Townpod EV concept, a sort of larger, more amorphous take on the Cube and Leaf. The barn-doored concept has an animated marshmallow-like face, with headlamps that feature blue ‘petals’ that change position depending on whether they are being used as marker units or headlights. The interior is a flexible space that’s designed to accept third-party storage accessories and such, and it’s complete with a display that according to Nissan is designed to coordinate with the owner’s PDA.
Audi e-tron Spyder
Audi keeps on growing its e-tron family. The automaker pulled a fast one by unveiling yet another electrified monster at the 2010 Paris Motor Show, only this time, the low-slung hybrid came sans-top. The concept is powered by two electric motors and a 300-horsepower twin-turbo TDI V6 that comes to the fight with 479 pound-feet of torque.
2011 Ford Focus ST
While we’re still waiting for a proper Focus RS to hit our shores, we’re certainly happy to see its little brother, the Focus ST, hit the showroom floor with promises of coming Stateside in 2012 ringing in our ears. Here’s why our interest is piqued: a turbocharged 2.0-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder engine with 247 horsepower and 266 pound-feet of torque; a six-speed manual transmission and Ford’s new torque-vectoring power control system.
Kia Pop
The Kia Pop Concept is a slick little wedge of silver that the company calls “a striking vision of future urban electric transport” meant “to act as a loose nucleus, a wild atom.” In case you’re wondering about the styling, you can’t compare it to anything you might see today. Kia design chief Peter Schreyer says it “looks even further into the future” than even the next generation of vehicles, which means we can look forward to guppy faces and oblong windows.
Seat Ibe
By unveiling the Ibe all-electric sports coupe concept at the Paris Motor Show, automaker Seat showed that it’s about ready to go toe-to-toe with some of the big dogs in the world of dreamy battery-powered machines. At less than 13 feet in length, the Ibe’s smallish size significantly contributes to its low, 2,425-pound curb weight. With a max of 102 horsepower and around 148 pound-feet of torque provided by its electric motor, the Ibe’s performance capabilities are very much determined by the vehicle’s mass.
Range Rover Evoque
Land Rover’s critical new Range Rover Evoque debuted at the Paris Motor Show, ushering in a brave new world for the British off-roader brand. The debut continues the company’s march toward the softroader segment, a movement first started with the LR2/Freelander and now resulting in the handsome new three-door seen here.
Audi Quattro Concept
In honor of the 30th anniversary of the original, Audi debuted its Quattro Concept in Paris. The slick coupe is packing 408 horsepower from its turbocharged five-cylinder engine and routing all those ponies through a six-speed manual gearbox to all four wheels, making for a power-to-weight ratio on par with that of the Audi R8 5.2 FSI.
Chevy Cruze Hatchback
Unfortunately, the five-door Cruze is not slated for North American consumption – we’ll have to make do with the still-good but less-functional (and less-attractive) sedan. GM may think that Americans don’t buy hatchbacks, but according to recent sales data of hatches versus their sedan counterparts, The General would be very, very wrong. Regardless, Europeans will get to sample the Cruze Hatchback when it goes on sale in the old country in mid-2011.
Lotus Eterne
When we think of Lotus, the words “hybrid” and “sedan” aren’t exactly the first words that come to mind. Now, though, Lotus is changing all that with the introduction of its Eterne concept, a four-door sedan with an optional hybrid powertrain. Like the new Esprit concept, the Eterne is powered by a 620-horsepower, 5.0-liter V8 sourced from Toyota. The optional hybrid drivetrain uses a Formula 1-style KERS energy recuperation system, and the Lotus sedan will be available in both rear- and all-wheel drive.
Mastretta MXT
Mexico may be known as a hub for automotive production in the Americas, but it isn’t typically identified as a hotbed of design or engineering. The folks at Mastretta are out to change that with their new MXT sports car. Powered by a Ford-sourced 2.0-liter Duratec I4 engine mounted amidships and plumbed with a turbo for 250 horsepower and 257 pound-feet of torque, the MXT is a simple, lightweight proposition designed to resonate with the Colin Chapmans and Gordon Murrays of this world.
Exagon e-GT
Exagon Motors hasn’t often appeared in these pages – the company built some electric ice racers last year – and so yesterday’s announcement of the Furtive e-GT extended-range/all-electric sports car caught us by surprise. We recovered from our shock long enough to check it out in person at the Paris Motor Show today, and the metal does the sleek shape more favors than a camera lens. Still, with a 0-60 time of 3.5 seconds (take that, Tesla Roadster) and some range guarantees (!), we’ll take one no matter how it looks.
Renault Dezir
Renault pulled the sheets back on its all-electric Dezir at this year’s Paris Motor Show, and the concept is as sexy as it is absurd. Designers took a stab in an all-new direction with a pair of reverse-hinged butterfly doors that are the epitome of awesome. Likewise, the ultra-wide stance and aluminum sideblades are our kind of flashy. As you might expect, this concept makes use of a fittingly-futuristic powertrain. Renault says that under all of that curvy sheet metal there’s a full EV drivetrain on hand.
Lamborghini Sesto Elemento
Surely, one of the most hotly anticipated releases at the 2010 Paris Motor Show would be the Lamborghini Sesto Elemento Concept.That said, any new Lambo is going to have big shoes to fill, with such classics as the Miura, Countach, Diablo and Murcielago, Gallardo and Reventon each holding its well-earned place in the annals of supercardom. Will the Sesto Elemento turn out to be yet another masterpiece from Italy?