Paris Motor Show Goes Green

Paris—Every other year, auto journalists and industry leaders trot off to Paris for that city’s flamboyant automobile show. Paris alternates with Frankfurt (Germany) to present what most observers consider the paramount automobile exhibition in Europe. As before, this year’s Mondial de l’Automobile opened at the sprawling exposition center at Porte de Versailles, in the southern portion of Paris. Nine separate halls were filled to capacity with cars, light trucks, and related exhibits.

2008 Mondial de l'Automobile

Because Paris is such a capital of fashion and flair, past Motor Shows have concentrated on style and performance. Not so much this October. News-conference speakers who might in the past have unleashed streams of 0-60 acceleration times, top speeds, and horsepower boosts, took quite a different tack in deference to the changing times. Instead of hearing only about power and beauty, more than 10,000 visiting journalists were deluged with figures about fuel-efficiency and, especially, emissions. Rather than kph (kilometers per hour), the term of the day was gm/km (grams per kilometer), a measure of the amount of CO2 released by an engine for each kilometer driven. Even some performance-car makers, including Ferrari, focused almost as much on gm/km as on acceleration or top speed.


Close to 40 automakers made media presentations in Paris. So did more than a dozen suppliers and other industry organizations. Out of the dozens of new and redesigned models that appeared in Paris, here are our top choices, along with notes on a special exhibition of historic taxicabs:

All-New Gasoline/Electric Model: Honda Insight Hybrid Hatchback Concept

Nearly a decade ago, when Honda launched its first hybrid-powertrain model, the subcompact two-seater was named Insight. Now, the Japanese automaker has revived that designation for its latest hybrid—a considerably more practical gasoline/electric model. Shown in Paris in concept form, the coming-soon Insight is a shapely five-passenger, five-door hatchback. A 1.3-liter gasoline engine is installed, and the control unit and battery are mounted under the Insight’s cargo space. Honda barely hesitates to call it a “Prius-fighter,” rivals Toyota’s highly popular hybrid.


Insight is a “hybrid for everyone,” said president/CEO Takeo Fukui, and will have a “significantly reduced price” compared to current gasoline/electric models—presumably including Honda’s own Civic Hybrid sedan. Fuel-cell vehicles like Honda’s FCX Clarity are “the ultimate solution,” Fukui said, but hybrids are best for the “near-term.” Insight concept styling is related to that of the FCX Clarity, which is being evaluated by American families. A production-ready Insight will appear at Detroit’s North American International Auto Show, in January 2009. Next spring, European, Japanese, and North American dealerships will begin to get Insights.


European customers also got to see the latest Jazz, claiming top fuel-efficiency in its segment, coming next year with a hybrid powertrain.

New BMW 7 Series, ActiveHybrid and Concept X1

BMW used the Paris Motor Show as a launch pad for the fifth generation of its 7 Series flagship sedan. In addition to emissions improvements, the redesigned 7 Series offers a host of technological innovations. At night, for example, an infrared camera can detect people on the street and warn the driver of their presence. European sales begin in November, including a long-wheelbase version. For the European market, a 730d diesel model is part of the lineup; Americans will get only gasoline engines. On the other hand, BMW also unveiled a Concept 7 Series Active Hybrid, with a combination of gasoline V-8 and electric drive, claiming a 15 percent reduction in fuel consumption. BMW vows that its 7 Series will definitely be offered as a hybrid, as early as 2009. An X6 ActiveHybrid also is expected.


A smaller premium sport-activity vehicle appeared in Paris, too. Seemingly almost ready to join the existing X3, X5, and X6, the Concept X1 is BMW's first compact model in this category. Series production could begin as early as 2009, BMW advised. Also onstage in Paris was the redesigned 3 Series, though it’s been shown previously. As has often been the case with BMW products, the latest 3 Series sedan and Touring models promise more power, but they also produce fewer CO2 emissions.

Solid-Roof Fun in the Sun: 2010 Lexus IS 250C Retractable Hardtop

Toyota’s luxury division focused on both fun and functionality in Paris. Introducing the new IS 250C retractable hardtop was the “fun” part. Obviously a close relative of the IS-Series sport sedan, the retractable has an aluminum, three-part folding roof, which raises or lowers in 20 seconds. Unlike Lexus’s more costly (and snug) SC 430 retractable, this one has a backseat that promises to hold adults.