Paris motor show 2014 preview

One of the greatest motor shows in the world, the Paris motor show brings the latest and greatest production and concepts under one roof, and it is about to go underway this week.

Some of the cars that are set to make headlines at the Paris motor show are Mercedes-AMG GT Coupe, Jaguar XE sedan, Mazda MX-5 and Land Rover’s Discovery Sport SUV. We are not even counting the surprise debuts – which includes the mystery supercar from the Lamborghini stable.

Big names in the industry will be showcasing their best designs and technology, while the others show off their current offerings which have been brought to speed with the 21st century. We list out the manufacturers and their newest offerings.

Audi – The German carmaker will be showing off the facelift versions of the A6, the larger A7 and the Q3, a new A7 TDI Competition, and a TT Roadster. Audi has one of the most number of cars that will be showcased at Paris.

Aston Martin – Rapide Facelift, Vantage S Roadster and Vanquish Carbon will grab enough attention with the iconic Aston Martin grille. After all these cars were the ones that 007 preferred.

Bentley – The Mulsanne Speed is the Mulsanne on caffeine. The new car boasts better performance and efficiency than the standard model. The Speed tops out at 305kph.

BMW – The 2-Series Convertible, 7-Series Individual Paris and the X6 will be some of the class offerings from the German car manufacturer. The 7-Series Individual Paris will be a special edition only for the international market. 

Citroen – Citoren will display two concept cars, the C1 Urban Ride and the C4 Cactus Airflow 2L. The C1 Urban seems quite production ready and Citoren will, in fact, conduct a poll whether they should make the concept into a production model. The C1 Urban is the French government’s answer to making a car that will be good for 100km on two litres of fuel.

Dacia – Following the Sandero, two cars with the Stepway treatment from Dacia will visit the motor show - Dokker Stepway, Lodgy Stepway. Both the crossovers look really rugged and will be available in the Stepway special colour – Azurite.

DMC – DMC will be tweaking the G500 from the Mercedes-Benz G-Class and pushing the power output to 690.5bhp. The exterior design has been worked upon to match the performance, and DMC will also provide individualized interiors to suit the taste of individual clients.

DS – The 3 Ines De La Fressange and the Divine concept cars from the Citoren stable are designed to suit individual needs and to complement their fashion statement. Both the concepts will debut at Paris and might make it as limited series models, depending on their reception.

Fiat – Fiat’s new 500X crossover has been caught on camera repeatedly. The crossover will share its platform with the Jeep Renegade. The front looks similar to the 500L Minivan Trekking edition, while the back looks quite similar to the hatchback, albeit the larger tail lamps. After the show, the 500X is most likely to go on sale early next year.

Ford – The C-MAX & Grand C-MAX Facelift are the two minivans that the American carmaker has focussed on for the European markets. With the exterior borrowed heavily from the Edge Concept and built on the Ford Global Midsize Platform, the Edge SUV is a direct competitor to the Nissan Murano. The Focus ST gets a facelift as well, while the range topping Mondeo will get a new engine and will make its debut at Paris. The all new MPV called the S-MAX will also make its debut at the show.

Honda – The Civic hatchback and tourer models get a cosmetic and technological makeover, while the Civic lineup also gets a new sporty offering. The Jazz and HR-V concepts will also be showcased by the Japanese automotive giant.

Hyundai – The second generation i20 Supermini will be showcased at the show, Hyundai says the use of Thermal Plastic Olefin (TPO) soft-touch materials at all the key areas in the car will make the i20 feel much more premium.

Infiniti – Previously known as the Infinity M, the Q70 will get a facelift and will be showcased at Paris. The BMW 5-Series rival will get styling changes that will make it look more similar to the Q50 sedan, while the Q80 concept will also make an appearance. The Q80 will lead to a future four door fastback model.

Jaguar – Often called the baby Jag, the XE aims to challenge the BMW 3-Series. It is designed around Jaguar's all-new modular architecture with lightweight aluminium making up 75 percent of the structure. However, there's is much more to the XE than the design.

Kia – The compact Rio will receive a slight facelift, while the Sorento will be the ‘pride and joy’ for Kia. After five years in the market, the Venga will get a facelift and new-look front and rear ends, a tiger nose grille and LED daytime running lamps.

Lamborghini – Rumours are that Lamborghini will showcase a concept called the Asterion. This could be the mystery supercar from Lamborghini that the world has been speculating. Not much is known about the car, but apparently the logo trademarked by the Italian carmaker has a lightning bolt in it, suggesting that it could be a hybrid.

Land Rover – Land Rover will showcase the all-new Discovery Sport which is a replacement for the entry-level Freelander, while the Discovery will get a minor facelift. The car can now be specified with features from the XXV Special Edition.

Lotus – The Elise S Cup brings the road-going models closer to the track specials. It has been built around the track special model that was unveiled earlier this year. The Elise S Cup has been tested successfully at the Lotus test track and at the famous Nurburgring.

Mazda – To be showcased at Paris, the Mazda2 is strongly influenced by the Hazumi design concept that was showcased at the Geneva motor show earlier this year. The fourth generation MX-5 will be showcased as well, and one of the major talking points about the MX-5 is the new look.

Mercedes – Mercedes is quite literally the six-pointed star in this star studded show. They will be showing off the facelifted B-Class  CLS, besides the AMG GT, C63 AMG, C63s AMG Edition 1, V-Class 4Matic and S65 AMG V12. The AMG GT is the latest offering in the Mercedes line-up and will probably be the one that shines the brightest.

McLaren – The 650S Spider built by the McLaren Special Operations (MSO) might make its debut at the Paris motor show. It retains many styling cues from the concept, with the team at MSO having worked closely with the McLaren Automotive Design Director Frank Stephenson.\

Mini – The five door version of the hatchbacks will be showcased at the Paris motor show. The Superleggera Roadster version was first revealed at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, and will now be showcased at the show. It has been built by Mini and the Italian coachbuilder Touring Superleggera, and focuses on driving fun and aesthetic appeal.

Mitsubishi – The Outlander PHEV Concept S is based on the plug-in hybrid SUV production model. Featuring  Platinum White paint with glass flake finish, the study is much sleeker and sportier looking than the standard production model.

Nissan – Aimed as a rival to the Golf, the Pulsar brings ‘exceptionally high equipment levels’ to the game. The Pulsar will introduce new features such as Moving Object Detection, Nissan Safety Shield system, Around View Monitor, Active Trace Control, Forward Emergency Braking and the latest NissanConnect infortainment system.

Opel – The Adam S, when it was revealed as a concept earlier this year, was already production material. Now it will be showcased at the show as a production model before it goes on sale in the international market early next year. The Corsa has been renewed – the skin and heart alike. It will be taking somewhat a centre stage at the Opel stand at the Paris motor show.

Peugeot – Scheduled to arrive at dealerships in November30, the 208 GTi will make its debut at the Paris motor show, while the 208 XY JBL Edition will feature a sound system from the house of the audio giant JBL. The facelifted 508 will make its debut and the 2008 & 3008 Crossway special editions featuring a compass motif will also be showcased. Two concepts, the 208 Hybrid Air 2L and the Exalt No2 will be showcased at the show as well.

Porsche – The Cayenne facelift will be showcased at the Paris motor show, having been refreshed before the Paris motor show. The new car will look much sharper with subtle changes such as a  redesigned the grille, bumper, lights and even the hood, which now hovers over to the corners of the reshaped fenders.

Range Rover – To be revealed at the Paris Auto Show, the Evoque SW1 features the Union Jack in two distinctive styles, full color and Monochrome, and gloss Fuji white 20-inch alloy wheels. Union Flag graphics are featured on the rear spoiler and the white door mirror housings., while white tick decals adorn the bodywork. The most important improvement on the Range Rover and the Range Rover Sport will be the torque increase brought about for the SDV8 diesel engine. The fastest Range Rover, the Sports SVR will also be showcased alongside the other three.

Renault – Clio Initiale Paris, the market specific Initiale-badged hatchback will be making an appearance in Paris, after making a debut in France. The Espace minivan will also be making a debut at the motor show, alongside the two Dacia Stepway models of the Lodgy and Dokker. The EOLAB gets its name from the combination of the word Aeolous - the Greek ruler of the winds and Laboratory. It is supposedly able to cover 100km in a litre of fuel.

Seat - Seat has been calling the Leon the most beautiful estate car ever, and has scheduled the X-Perience variant for a Paris debut. It features a permanent all-wheel drive system which is “one the most modern and efficient system of its kind in the world”.

Skoda – The all-new Fabia looks like the Audi A1 in terms of its profile and general proportions. Besides the Fabia, Skoda is also going to showcase the Fabia Combi, which is the estate version of the hatchback. It promises to be roomier and might give the Combi the same engines as the hatchback.]

Smart – The third generation ForFour and second generation ForTwo will be showcased at the Paris motor show, after it was welcomed by Diamler into the range of its Smart brand earlier this year. The ForFour is basically the elongated version of the ForTwo, featuring the same rear wheel drive, rear engine setup that the smaller car comes with.

SsangYong – The Korean carmaker is adding the XIV-Air & XIV Adventure concept cars to its well populated list of concept SUVs. Both the cars are build upon the already existing XIV-1 concept, and carry the philosophy of “Robust, Specialty and Premium” using the design theme of Nature born - 3 Motion.

Suzuki – Aimed to fill the gap between the Grand Vitara and the Jimmy, the Vitara CUV is the Japanese carmaker’s answer to the increasing demand of smaller SUVs. This production version of last year’s iV-4 Concept will be premiered at the Paris motor show.

Toyota – Toyota is bringing two cars to the Paris motor show - a production car and a concept. The Yaris facelift is aimed at the European market with its Aygo-inspired front end. Even the interiors have been reworked to give it an improved look and feel. The C-HR concept brings a “bold design language with an agile, engaging driving experience and a hybrid powertrain”.

Volvo – The second generation XC90 comes packed with features. While Volvo recently revealed prices for the XC90, it also released pictures of the XC90 R-Design to the world. Both the cars will take the centre stand at the Volvo booth at the motor show.

Volkswagen – The new Passat has been described by Volkswagen as a “premium car without premium costs” and aims at challenging premium offerings such as the BMW 3-Series, Mercedes’ C-Class and even the Audi A4. Golf’s younger brother, the Polo GTI facelift will also be making an appearance at the Paris motor show. It has been given a new Audi-sourced engine and a new gearbox.