Concept cars have always been a reason for attending the Paris Motor Show.
While many are truly Gallic flights of fancy, several pointed the way to upcoming cars and trucks coming in the not too distant future.
McLaren used its first-ever international motor show appearance to preview its next generation ultimate supercar ≠ the McLaren P1.
The McLaren P1 was previewed as a design study. Within a year a production version will be on sale.
The McLaren P1 leverages five decades of McLaren’s motorsport skills. It was designed from the outset to prioritize aerodynamic performance and spent many hours in a wind tunnel using CFD (computational fluid dynamics) aerodynamic modelling ≠ just like a Formula One car.
The McLaren P1’s downforce is similar to current sports racing cars, including the McLaren-12C GT3 racer.
Porsche presented the Panamera Sport Turismo concept car with a glimpse at a possible Porsche sports car of tomorrow.
The new Liquid Metal Blue colour gives the concept car a surface that resembles liquid metal and highlights its contours and design lines more clearly.
The hybrid concept vehicle with its 416 hp of peak system power is designed to be driven in pure electric mode up to a speed of 130 km/h and can cover distances of over 30 km in all-electric mode.
Honda showed the EV-STER, an electric rear-wheel-drive two-seater convertible sports car that suggests a new way to enjoy a sports car that is unique to the electric vehicles. The adoption of carbon materials throughout the EV-STER made it possible to reduce the vehicle weight delivering high performance driving and an extensive range of approximately 99 miles.
The easy-to-operate twin-lever steering system was adopted in the pursuit of the joy of driving. Moreover, this concept model enables the driver to make adjustments to many of the vehicle characteristics such as motor output and suspension settings.
The Lexus LF-CC is a new mid-size coupe concept that presents design and technology ideas that will influence future models. It follows on from the award-winning LF-LC 2+2 sports coupe concept which debuted at the Detroit show earlier this year as a more compact model with rear-wheel drive and full hybrid power.
The Nissan TeRRA SUV concept features an innovative 4×4 fuel-cell electric powertrain and an athletic exterior that has presence beyond its compact dimensions.
Powering the front wheels is the electric propulsion system currently featured in the Nissan LEAF.
The electrically driven smart forstars is an SUC (Sports Utility Coupe) with room for two people and plenty of stowage space. Its name is a tongue-in-cheek reference to the glass dome above the passengers that gives a clear view of the starry sky.
Suzuki debuted the C-Cross concept that gives a pretty good look at how its next entry into the compact CUV segment will look.
The new model heralded by the C-Cross will mark Suzuki’s full-scale entry into the market for C-segment crossovers.
The new vehicle’s features and functions will be designed primarily for comfort.
BMW showed the interesting Concept Active Tourer, a CUV hybrid with a 220-volt lithium-ion battery, two motors and a three-cylinder, 1.5-litre TwinPower turbo gasoline engine that is effectively one-half of the standard 3.0-litre V6 TwinPower engine used in a number of BMWs.
BMW was estimating fuel consumption of 2.5L/100 km and 60 grams of CO2 and range of 30 km on the battery alone.
