The Volkswagen Group didn’t dominate the world premieres list, a 1970s DS21 devoid of Citroen badges was exhibited, Jaguar’s XE drew only modest praise, and Volvo went properly premium – just some of the surprises from the 2014 Paris Mondial de l’Automobile.
Let’s look at the global debuts by brand, which will also flush out the manufacturers that chose not to exhibit a new vehicle at the biggest motor show to take place in Europe this year.
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I won’t say predictably, as that might be harsh, but where was anything truly new from Alfa Romeo? Even the production version of the 4C spider would have been worthwhile but no, it wasn’t there. Instead, there were some additional variants for the Giulietta and MiTo which revived the Junior and Sprint model names, but that was all. A prototype of Progetto 152, the 159 successor which might be called Giulia, is due in 2015. It’s likely to be revealed at a media event on 24 June, the 105th anniversary of Alfa Romeo. By then, it might be the third new model to have been revealed in H1 after the 4C Spider and the Duetto.
Aston Martin is another former great badly in need of some fresh metal in its model range but in Paris there wasn’t any. It was a shame the Lagonda wasn’t exhibited but it’s not for Europe anyway, which is in itself a pity. CEO Andy Palmer needs to breathe some life back into Aston: the Vantage is nine years old and the DB9 is ten but it’s been reported that the replacements are still a year and two years off respectively.
Audi had a relatively quiet show, and that’s something newsworthy. The A4 and A5 are running late but don’t also discount the politics of the Volkswagen Group meaning nothing was allowed to overshadow the arrival of a new D segment VW. There’s a load of new models coming in 2015 and that should include at least one additional body style for the TT range. After the hatchback and roadster, there should be an ‘offroad’ or ‘Q’ crossover and/or a Sportback.
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Bentley is on a sales role and the Mulsanne Speed will keep buyers interested in the model, even though the big sedan is said to be responsible for just 10% of worldwide sales. It’s due for a facelift in 2015 and then BY841 replaces it in 2018. So we’ve another four years until the arrival of the PHEV Mulsanne. This will likely share much with the next Panamera S E-Hybrid.
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By GlobalDataAfter Bentley comes BMW. The X6 was set to appear at the Moscow show back in August but there was a change of plans. It’s the same platform and whatever you think of the looks, this model is going to be even more profitable than the first X6. It’s also inspired some future rivals from Mercedes-Benz and Audi too, so look for those to appear within the next 6-12 months. The other debutante at Paris was the 2 Series Convertible, which, top-down at least, looked close to beautiful.
The C1 Urban Ride was the second hint in as many European major motor shows of a crossover derivative being under development by Citroen. Was I alone in noticing the Evoque-style shapes cut into its plastic wheelarch extensions? This might also become a future Dacia/Renault Stepway styling signature as the new Dokker and Lodgy derivatives also each had this feature (the existing Sandero Stepway doesn’t, nor does the Duster).
Back to Citroen: next year will be a quiet one in Europe for new model launches but no-one seems to have realised this. There will be facelifts, of course, but nothing truly fresh. That also applies to DS (4 and 5 are in line for mid-life refreshes) and I hear that the C1-based DS 1 will not now go ahead or is at least being rethought. A premium-priced ‘DS 2’ small SUV would seem to be an obvious model for the brand, but if such a vehicle is under development, no-one at PSA was saying. A DS21 was on display alongside a 2CV and these drew many, many admirers. Good to see Citroen rediscovering its own heritage, even if history was being rewritten: one car’s number plates said ‘Citroen 2CV’ but the other just ‘DS 21’. A space that wasn’t there with the original and no Citroen either.
Ferrari has let the 458 get to six years old without a facelift, which is strange, though the car is still selling well. The update should happen at the 2015 Geneva show, while some styling modifications for the FF will likely appear too next year, probably at the Shanghai show in April.
It was a relief to be able to visit the Fiat stand at any motor show and find a new product there. The 500X makes a lot of sense when you see it. It’s easy to forget that for many years, the Suzuki-supplied Sedici was the biggest selling ‘SUV’ in the Italian market and this is its belated replacement. If the Jeep Renegade is a proper SUV then this is the crossover that complements it. Both should do well, particularly in Europe and possibly in the US too. Let’s also hope that many more way overdue new Fiats start coming through the pipeline soon too. Replacements for the Punto, Bravo and 500 are the most urgent.
Ford of Europe had the new Mondeo (again) but this time it’s almost ready for introduction. Graeme has had a drive and came back from Malaga impressed. Not sure how well it will do against the established big sellers in its class – Octavia, Passat and in Britain, the Insignia, but the availability of a 1.0-litre engine is at least of novelty value for the segment, as is the petrol hybrid. Shame it’s not a plug-in hybrid – the Passat GTE that’s due in showrooms from late next summer could do with some competition. Ford’s global debut in Paris was the S-MAX which is another vehicle entering a shrinking segment. It looked a lot like the current model, which is no bad thing and in markets outside the UK, it will take on the new Espace.
Honda Motor Europe hit back at criticism of an ageing model range by showing us what’s coming for 2015. That meant the world premieres of the Civic hatchback and estate facelifts plus the CR-V gains a new version of the firm’s 1.6-litre diesel and a nine-speed automatic transmission. American Honda had last month revealed this facelift for its 2015 model year but take note that the nine-speeder was not part of the news. North America’s locally-made model instead comes with a CVT.
The HR-V (Vezel) is already on sale in multiple non-European countries, so this was its regional debut. But where was the news of a diesel version? Let’s hope it’s being held over for Geneva otherwise this model is hardly worth importing. HME’s next Jazz also showed up in Paris. Like the CR-V and HR-V it was curiously termed a ‘prototype’. Why, when all three are on sale in other markets?
The localised Jazz was identical to Japan’s, with the exception of having a shark fin aerial in place of the home market’s bee sting antenna. A 1.3-litre petrol engine was noted but oh dear, here I go again, no diesel. Nor was there mention of the hybrid that sells in such big numbers in Japan, or even an EV. Meanwhile, the Civic Type R concept 2 gained the same front end as the facelifted five-door hatchback and Tourer. All of this more or less confirms what has seemed obvious for a while now: Honda has decided to become a small player in European markets. You therefore wonder how long HME’s plants in Turkey and England can be sustained.
Hyundai had the i20 on its stand but not the coupe version, which has been announced but is yet to have a motor show debut. That’s strange as production is due to commence in Turkey during the first quarter. There was similarly no sign of the ix25 but that doesn’t necessarily mean it won’t be coming to Europe. Indeed, it and its future Kia sister (project code: KC) should be made in the Czech Republic and/or Slovakia from 2015/2016.
Speaking of Kia, mid-life facelifts for the Venga and Rio were global debuts at Paris and there were two hybrid prototypes of the existing Optima on display. A diesel-electric should therefore be part of next year’s replacement model range, and there’s a chance that the first Optima SW (wagon) will also be part of that model range. The big news for Kia at the 2014 Paris show was the premiere of the Sorento. It goes on sale across Europe from the first quarter. The next Sportage will also be seen in 2015, most likely at the Frankfurt IAA.
Infiniti isn’t terribly relevant in Europe – its sales numbers being so low that ACEA doesn’t even list them in its monthly press release for the combined 30 European markets – but it’s trying to become that way. The Q30 and QX30 will change all that: both will enter production at Sunderland in northeast England during 2015. The Q80 concept was a bit of a beauty to most people and it shows the clever thinking of Nissan’s upscale division as it tries to take on the S-Class and 7 Series. Or rather the Panamera. Will Infiniti follow Tesla in going up against the big hatchback Porsche with a production Q80?
Jaguar had what to the British media was one of the show’s most important models. It didn’t take your breath away but perhaps after the F-TYPE we had expected too much. Despite all the statements about aluminium in the car’s construction it still tips the scales at a minimum of 1,500kg, there won’t be a Sportbrake at launch in 2015 and it’s hard to imagine it making much of an impact in Germany. But it’s a good (re)start in the segment. Let’s just hope Jaguar has more success than others that have tried before – Lexus IS outside the US and Canada, Alfa 159 and of course the X-TYPE from some years back. The Volvo S60 proves that challenging the 3 Series, C-Class and A4 can be done.
Jeep had a quiet show but it’s one of the fastest expanding brands in Europe and that’s even before the Renegade has gathered much sales momentum.
Lamborghini had one of the show’s few surprises. The Audi division managed to keep all pics of the Asterion off the web until the covers were lifted from the concept on press preview day. It looks like a modern take on the Miura supercar from decades ago but given how striking the brand’s existing production models are, it didn’t look as futuristic as it should have, positioned between them. Still, a hybrid powertrain with not one, not two, but three electric motors and 910PS was a dramatic enough statement.
The quiet death of Lancia continues with the brand being pushed into a small corner of the Fiat display. And at this show, not even what are always the most beautiful girls in the highest heels on any stand were there. They inevitably seem to be hired to distract from the fact that there’s never a new car to be seen but it now seems that FCA has even given up on that tactic. Things are descending into nonsense; witness the media release concerning yet another special edition: The new Lancia Ypsilon ELLE is the undisputed star of the event.
Land Rover’s stand was mobbed due to the first appearance of the Discovery Sport, which is one of those rare vehicles which looks quite different in the metal to how it does in photos. The main thing is its size, which isn’t a lot more than the Freelander/LR which it will replace. Somehow in pics, it appears to be far larger. JLR’s Gerry McGovern let it be known that there will likely be a smaller member of the Discovery family to come but not until close to the end of the decade. This means that L851, which remains the project code, won’t be a mini-Defender, as some had believed. Further, the formerly rumoured launch date of 2017 was either wide of the mark or, dare we think it, JLR has so many vehicles on the way that there might understandably be an engineering backlog.
The Lexus NX is better proportioned than it looked in the advance image but the downside is that it dates the larger and curvier RX which it was displayed beside. It can also be almost guaranteed to steal many sales from that model in European markets.
As was the case at Geneva, Mazda Motor Europe had one of the most minimal and premium looking stands at the show. This was topped off by the MX-5, the centrepiece of the display and to me at least, it looks spot on. Smaller than you might have imagined, mind. Will there be a successor for the Roadster-Coupe with its lightweight plastic roof? There should be, as this electric-top model still sells well in EU markets. Despite it already being on sale in Japan as the Demio, the Mazda2 was not present at the Mondial de l’Automobile.
There was no MG stand as Britain is the sole EU market. Alas then no opportunity to check out the GT which has just gone on sale in China. France is not one of the launch markets for Qoros so there was another missing Chinese brand, nor is Great Wall marketed in the country (just Italy and the UK of the big five European markets) so no chance to check out the latest, updated 2015MY Steed. But a review of that model and an update of the brand’s European strategy and progress will appear on just-auto.com later in 2014.
