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 many highlights from the 2014 Paris Mondial de l’Automobile.
Paris marked the debut of not just a new sports car from Daimler but also the first model to be given the Mercedes-AMG brand name. The Benzless car in question is the GT and most thought it one of the better looking cars to wear a three-pointed star in a while, with the interior also inspiring much positive praise. A roadster is said to be under development but don’t expect it to appear until 2016 or 2017. Another debutante was the new edition of the C 63 AMG, which is available in standard or more powerful S forms, sedan and estate too, each with versions of a new 4.0-litre biturbo V8, the same unit that features in the Mercedes-AMG GT in fact.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Mini’s five door model was another world premiere. It’s certainly cosy in the back seats and getting in and out will definitely see your clothing marked if there’s any dirt on the tops of the wheel arches – yes, it’s that tight a fit. This is all doubly peculiar as the car was designed from the outset to be a three- or five-door, plus a convertible and estate.
Mitsubishi had no new production models, the Pajero/Montero/Shogun facelift having been seen at the Moscow and Chengdu shows during the summer. This 15 year old will keep going until around this time next year, at which point its long overdue replacement should appear. That should be at the Tokyo motor show. A well-styled facelift for the smaller Outlander PHEV was a world premiere at the Paris show though this was called a concept. Seems a good idea to give it separate styling to other Outlanders, especially as it doesn’t currently look any different.
The Pulsar is a very interesting car in that it marks the return of Nissan Europe to the Golf class. It’s a pity there’s no wagon but there again there is so much space in this model that it might even steal sales from the likes of the 308 SW and Civic Tourer – two of the most commodious model in the C segment.
Opel had one of the most important debuts, which was the new generation Corsa. I’ll be driving it in Vauxhall form next week so will reserve my opinion until then but I will say that it doesn’t look as different from the current car as it ought to. Another example of press pics and reality sometimes being quite different.
How well do you really know your competitors?
Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.
Thank you!
Your download email will arrive shortly
Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample
We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form
By GlobalDataPeugeot I mentioned above but the addition of a GT for the 308 range marks another small step upmarket for the brand, while a GTi and an even faster and more expensive R will be next as Peugeot attempts to mimic what VW has done with the Golf. If you want to see one direction that’s being thought of for the 508 replacement, then search for pics of the Exalt concept – it was the same car as which premiered at the Beijing show in April but it has had some minor revisions.
Porsche beat BMW to the punch with its PHEV powertrain for the Cayenne – the X5 eHybrid was also at Paris but still in concept form only – while the range itself had a facelift and the S gains a new engine.
Renault had some black Initiale Paris versions of the Latitude cruising around as media shuttles but they didn’t look too premium. How could they when they’re tarted up Samsungs? The head of Peugeot, Maxim Picat, didn’t want to be drawn on what he thought of Renault’s attempt to sell pricey versions of existing cars but he did seem doubtful of this strategy’s chances of success when I asked him for his thoughts.
The Clio Initiale Paris was there on the Renault stand as a world premiere but with nothing to alert you to that fact. Not the best way to launch a premium sub brand. It will cost an additional 3,350 euro, so prices start at EUR21,500. One obvious way to tell it from lesser Clios is the xenon headlights, which also means the DRL have disappeared from the grille. I would guess that all cars will get this styling adjustment at the time of a mid-life facelift, just as Ford did when the Fiesta ST appeared with a unique front end that ended up previewing a range restyle.
The Espace was meant to be the big news for Renault and it certainly looks right. There won’t be a new Grand Espace, though. Instead, both five- and seven-seater models will be sold and all come on the same standard wheelbase. This is the first Renault on the CMF C/D architecture, with a new Laguna to follow in 2015. Neither will come to Britain, nor will the Clio I.P. – unlike what HQ in Paris has convinced itself will be the case, Renault UK does not believe the brand can command premium pricing.
SEAT was preparing the ground for the arrival of at least one additional crossover/SUV to come by revealing the X-Perience at this show. It won’t sell in big numbers but it’s a worthy addition to the Leon line-up. Far greater things are expected from Skoda’s new Fabia, which looks like it has what it takes to challenge certain models in the B segment that are getting a little old. Cars like the Fiesta and even the Polo, which is now past mid-life. A new Superb will be the brand’s next new model, but there is as yet no sign of a Roomster 2. The existing car is eight years old.
The two new smart models looked good, and the forfour has lots in common with the Twingo. That includes a plastic tailgate in addition to composite front wings and bonnet so it’s as light as the Renault that it will soon be built alongside. No sign of electric drive versions of either the fortwo or forfour so expect to see these at the 2015 Geneva show.
SsangYong had two more concepts alluding to its future X100 project – surely it now holds the record for the most number of design studies by way of previews of a production model. This B segment SUV will be revealed in South Korea in January and there, both standard and long-wheelbase models will be sold. There will then be Mahindra derivatives for the Indian market and elsewhere.
The new Vitara is well proportioned and will soon enter production at Maygar Suzuki’s Esztergom plant, while Toyota Motor Europe is still deciding on what it will do about its own future B-SUV entrant, the Urban Cruiser having been withdrawn from sale after it flopped. TME will be keen that no such fate awaits the crossover it plans to launch to take on the Qashqai. If it looks as good as the C-HR concept, it will do well.
Volkswagen’s new Passat should prove to be a big seller in Germany and to a lesser extent Britain but it’s unlikely to be able to energise a segment that’s been in decline for some years. The 3 Series, C-Class and Qashqai have effectively highjacked sales of so many former decent sellers such as the Mondeo and Laguna and now models such as the CLA and GLA-Class are only adding to the woes of the formerly popular traditional D sedans and D estates.
Volvo debuted what should turn out to be one of the most important models from Paris 2014, the XC90. It’s s big vehicle, though you could well imagine an extended wheelbase L derivative for China and some other countries. The miracle of the old XC90 was how good it still looked even after 12 years so the new one might take some time to get used to. I don’t like timber inside any car but this one has truly beautiful wood trim, the steering wheel is equally elegantly shaped and there is a lot of room for people in all three seating rows. All I could find to criticise were some sharp edges on the corners of the rear lights. These are exposed when the tailgate is opened.
The Volvo stand was swish, and exactly what a ‘posh’ brand out to be: cool, quiet, light and with a lot of uncluttered space. Suddenly, the Germans and in the US, Lexus too, at last seem to have a true new, alternate luxury brand to question their domination. The heads of Cadillac, Infiniti and Lincoln should take a good look at what Volvo has at last achieved after years of trying to work out what it wants to stand for. It will be worth watching how that shift in pricing can be made to work in Sweden, a place where the brand is not thought of as premium. There, it has 19% of the market (YtD) and five of the ten top ten best sellers, led by the V70, XC60 and V60.
What’s next for Volvo then? The S90 is said to be ‘beautiful’ but we won’t know if that’s true until its arrival in 2015. There are of course big questions over whether any four-cylinder engine no matter how powerful can be acceptable to buyers in the full sized luxury sedan class. Even if it has three turbochargers, as the future Polestar versions of the S90 and XC90 might well do.
