Stunning jet cat from Jaguar is show star

The Jaguar C-X75 concept shown at Paris was much more than a super-cool looking cat. It brought to its time part of a technology which Rover-BRM first tried to make commercial back in the late 1950s.

The C-X75 is in once sense a celebration of 75 years of Jaguar cars. But its powertrain is unique because it uses gas turbines in an automotive extended-range EV context.

A plug-in electric car in the first instance, the quite gorgeous concept has four 195hp electric motors, one at each wheel, and the onboard battery can power the car for 110km/h on a charge.

On longer journeys, two micro gas turbines with a 188hp output capability can either recharge the batteries to extend the range to 900km, or directly supplement the electric motors. The powertrain can pull an awesome 1600Nm of torque.

The performance potential is 3.4 seconds to 100km/h. On the standard EU test cycle, the official emissions are 28g/km.

Construction is lightweight aluminium, developed by Jaguar for its current models.

But never mind all that. It just looks stunning. Whatever about the powertrain, expect to see the shape in the next generation XK.

Cute POP raises smiles

Kia had several ordinary cars on display at Paris, but the one which raised eyebrows, and smiles, was the three metres long POP electric city car concept.

The company says coyly that POP doesn't indicate any next generation of Kia style, but 'looks even further into the future'.

The designers call the car a 'wild atom', bouncing around the autosphere to see what it might provoke in reaction. They used non-automotive elements in putting the shape together, including gliders and high-speed bicycles. The view for the passengers is likened to what they might get from a helicopter.

POP is mainly a packaging exercise, but Kia suggests a 68hp electric motor and lithium battery powertrain. But, hey, it will probably have warp capability by the time any production variant gets on our roads. That's how fast things are moving.

Paris Motor Show 2010 - 6

Just a few more pictures. The show is busy and buzzy, with still a lot to see.

Honda's hybrid Jazz is a first for the supermini segment. And it is done without trading any of the Tardis-like interior space.

This is Audi's e-Tron Spyder electric sports car concept, which will likely arrive as one of the variants of a planned R4 sports car. It is our Car of the Show in 'Iwantit! terms.

And this other quattro concept from Audi is a homage to the decades of the iconic 4WD system developed by the company.

Meanwhile, this Porsche Speedster pictured is dedicated to Clem Ryan of KFM Radio in Kildare, who would love to have it 'but I'm lucky to have a wheelbarrow'.

Still on the electric sports car theme, this IBe concept from SEAT would look well no matter what the powertrain.

Although wagons aren't so popular in Ireland, we think this Sports Tourer version of the Opel Astra is something really nice.

And this concept electric city car, Kia's POP, is one of Trish's favourites.

And finally, also from Kia, this Optima targeting the Mondeo segment looks good enough to be a contender against Audi, BMW and Lexus.

Paris Motor Show 2010 - 5

In the premium car stakes, Mercedes-Benz is making the running with its new generation CLS, due in Ireland early next year. It is much sharper in style than the curvy original, and will have a B-rated engine in its lineup here.

BMW, down the hall, gave main prominence to its concept of the next 6 Series Coupe. Quite gorgeous, we can expect to see it in pretty well the same form when it goes into production. The company also showed off its new, bigger and better X3.

Paris Motor Show 2010 - 4

At the Nissan stand, the Leaf EV is the star of the show. But there's also a lot of interest in the final version of the new generation Micra, due in Ireland before the end of the year. For this they have gone back to a more restrained, even retro design.

Meanwhile, this TownPod concept is said by the company to be a view of future city cars, electric of course. It features a 'disappearing' rear seat allowing space for luggage if necessary when being used only by one or two.

Renault has gone back the very conservative road in its replacement for the ill-conceived Vel Satis large car. The Latitude is almost a plain Jane, perhaps aiming for the person who wants an Audi A8 but can't afford it. The interior finish is good, though.

And its Fluence ZE, which is leading the company's EV charge, was also given prominence. We'll see it on Irish roads later next year.

Paris Motor Show 2010 - 3

Although the Jeep brand is suffering badly from the recession's anti-SUV hit in Ireland, they still have a strong following in other places, and it is worth their while to show in Paris. The Wrangler above and the new Grand Cherokee below are well produced. Thing is, though the ordinary Cherokee has been around for almost two seasons now, we still haven't seen it in Ireland.

Paris Motor Show 2010 - 2

Ford pushed out the boat in a big way, not just revealing its new Focus in standard form, but also offering us a gold ST concept version. In addition, there were several versions of the new C-MAX on the stand, a car that comes to Ireland in a few weeks. We were disappointed to see that they used the old mobile phone styling on the centre stack as they have used in the Fiesta since it came out. A Fiesta RS WRC exhibit was attracting a lot of attention.

Mazda has smartened up its 2 with a grille treatment that reflects what it had done to the 3 and the 6 in recent times. Already one of our favourite superminis, the Japanese maker has also improved the car's efficiency and we'll bring you more details of these in future posts.

Fiat didn't have any new model cars, but did show new applications of its efficient MultiAir engines. And as always, they had some of the sexiest women at the show.

And their Alfa Romeo division very bravely showed a crash-tested Giulietta. It did show clearly why it has achieved one of the highest ENCAP ratings for passenger safety.

Paris Motor Show 2010 - 1

Ok, so it's Paris Salon des Autos 2010, and it is style, flash, lights, beautiful models (girls and cars) ... and sore feet.

There's a lot happening here, and to bring it all to you will take the two press review days that we have here. Rather than try and bring you everything at once, we'll do it bit by bit, and in this first report look only at some of the cars which are real. We'll add to it as the day goes on.



First out, because it is Paris after all, are the French. Peugeot are pinning much on their new 508, which comes in a restrained but elegant styling in both saloon and wagon form. Noticable is the high quality of the interiors and the roominess compared to the predecessor 407.

Peugeot also showed off its groundbreaking diesel hybrid system, which debuts in a variant of the 3008 and aims to take hybrid to an acceptable level in diesel-favouring Europe.





Across the way, Citroen made a splash with its  new generation C4, a much better looking car than the one it replaces.






Hidden in a cave, as has been the company's pattern, they also had the DS4 concept, as close to production as you like for the next in the DS series. But there were easier to see white ones high up outside. It's a smart one, good proportions.



On a stand next door, Land Rover was showing off its first new baby for a long time, the Range Rover Evoque. A snazzy coupe style urban offroad crossover, it was the first chance ordinary people got to see it in the metal and also for anyone to try out the interior. It suffers the same thing as all 3-door cars, awkward access to the rear seats, and we figure they should make it a 5-door, with hidden rear handles.

Ireland leads in Leaf EV customer orders

Ireland is ahead of the curve in electric vehicle terms with more than 100 firm orders placed for the Nissan Leaf hatchback EV by personal customers. This compares with 750 firm personal orders across the initial EU markets where deliveries of the Leaf will begin from January.

At a pre-motor show conference in Paris last night, the company's head of sales Simon Thomas said that discussions are in progress with 13,000 potential customers in Europe who have expressed an interest in buying the car, which will cost an average of €30,000 across the European markets.

Deliveries start in Portugal in January and after that in Ireland, the UK, the Netherlands and Switzerland before extending to other countries.

There are some 26,000 firm orders globally for the Leaf, in the US and Japan, the first markets where it is being delivered.

The Irish high rate of firm orders follows a very successful 'road show' of the Leaf a couple of months ago, says Paul O'Sullivan of Nissan Ireland, plus the fact that Government policy and the ESB are committed to providing a nationwide recharging infrastructure.

He added that Nissan Ireland is also well advanced in discussions with fleet buyers here.

Up for a sparking Paris Show

The whole electric/hybrid theme shifts up another gear this week at the Paris Motor Show, which opens to the public at the weekend, writes Trish Whelan.

In a world first, the PSA Peugeot-Citroen group will officially launch their diesel-hybrid powertrain in a 3008, which will have CO2 emissions below the iconic 100g/km point. The brand is targeting Toyota's gasoline-hybrid lead, and Renault which is pushing its electric-only vehicles as the mass market of the near future.

At the luxury end, Nissan's Infiniti brand is planning an EV version of one of its cars within two years, while the parent company's compact hatch Leaf EV is already out of the stocks and notching up buyers in advance of its European delivery date of next March.

Honda is launching its hybrid Jazz for Europe at the show, adding to its hybrid range of Civic IMA, Insight and CR-Z sports coupe.

Even the Chinese are getting serious in the game, with BYD planning to sell a plug-in hybrid in Europe in 2012.

A recent Peugeot estimate puts the hybrid/EV share of the total European car market at 15 percent by 2012, of which a third will be pure EVs. So there's a big game on.

Irish Car+Travel will be at the preview days tomorrow and Friday, and we'll bring you right up to date with the latest on these, and the still very important traditionally powered cars.