The Paris Motor Show is one of biggest events of the motoring calendar – here’s all you need to know about all the new cars coming
The 2016 Paris Motor Show is already gearing up to be one of the hottest events in the motoring calendar this year. After a relatively slow summer regarding new car reveals and releases, several car makers are planning to go all out and bring out the big guns at this year’s Paris show. As always, the Auto Express team will be on hand during the show to bring you up to date news and reveals when the event starts, but until then we’ve got a full list of what’s to be expected at Paris this year.
The Paris Motor Show, otherwise known as the Mondial de l’Automobile, is held every other year. It interchanges with the equally prestigious Frankfurt Motor Show, and rivals the Geneva Motor Show in March for the amount of new car unveils and launches. In fact, the 2014 Paris Motor Show was the most popular show of that year, bringing 1.25 million people to the stands.
Image 11 of 36
Image 11 of 36
The Paris Motor Show is home ground for major French manufacturers like Citroen, Peugeot and Renault – along with smaller ones like Aixam or Ligier. But it’s a global motor show in every sense and pretty much every major car manufacturer will be showing its face. We’re expecting to see everything from tiny city cars to giant SUVs within the walls of the exhibition centre, with a liberal sprinkling of insane hypercars and futuristic concepts.
Image 17 of 36
2016 Paris Motor Show: venue and tickets
The giant Paris expo Porte de Versailles exhibition centre hosts the Paris Motor Show as usual this year and it’s open to the public between the dates of October 1st and October 16th 2016. An adult ticket for the day costs €16, while adding a child takes that to €25.
You can buy tickets for the Paris Motor Show now on the official website but rest assured that we’ve already got ours for the press preview days on September 29th and 30th – as usual, they’ll be two of the busiest days in the automotive calendar for new car launches and hot breaking news.
2016 Paris Motor Show: the key cars
Audi Q5 – New version of Audi’s premium SUV.
BMW X2 – Concept version of BMW’s sharp coupe-SUV is set to debut.
Citroen C3 – A new and more stylish version of Citroen’s supermini.
Honda Civic – The next generation Honda Civic looks to recapture hearts and minds with a sharp new look.
Hyundai i30 – Hyundai’s latest Focus rival gets a host of new tech and a new family face.
Land Rover Discovery – Land Rover’s tough utility vehicle is set to launch in all-new guise.
Nissan Micra – The all-new Micra supermini is aiming to get back on track.
Peugeot 3008 – Peugeot’s 3008 gets a more rugged look and new tech.
Skoda Kodiaq – This big Skoda SUV will sit above the popular Yeti.
Paris Motor Show 2016: manufacturer A to Z
Abarth
Abarth doesn’t strictly have anything new coming to the Paris Motor Show, but there will be another display of the racy Abarth 124 – the more powerful and sportier-looking version of the regular 124 Spider – and the new 595 range.
Audi
Audi’s big debut is a very important one: The all-new Q5 SUV will make its debut in Paris before it goes on sale in 2017. The Q5 will use design cues and tech from the Q7, and will be the last of Audi’s current SUV line-up to receive a comprehensive update.
Following on from the A5 coupe revealed a few months ago, the five-door A5 Sportback and S5 Sportback variants will be on show. Complete with the interior of the new A4, the A5 Sportback features a shaplier design compared to its saloon stablemate. Also on show will be other recently launched cars like the TT RS and R8 Spyder.
BMW
• BMW X2
We’ve seen it in disguise and in our exclusive images, but it seems that BMW will use Paris to debut a near-production concept version of its new X2. As the name suggests it’ll sit between the X1 and X3, aiming to offer a sporty, coupe-like profile and sharp drive. We won’t see the finished product until next year, however.
Citroen
Paris is not only the home of the upcoming motor show, but also of French manufacturer Citroen, meaning big things can be expected from the brand in October. It’s been confirmed that theall-new C3 supermini will make its public debut at the show, featuring a C4 Cactus inspired redesign, a raft of new tech and an all-new platform.
Dacia
• Dacia Sandero, Stepway and Logan MCV updates
Although light on details, the Dacia Sandero, Sandero Stepwayand Logan MCV will receive minor updates and be on the brand’s stand at Paris this year. What we do know is that the front end of these cars has been tweaked to include new headlight and grille designs, while we could also see a new 1.2-litre turbo petrol engine.
Ferrari
Ferrari announced that 150 examples of a LaFerrari Spider would be produced in mid-2016, to become available in 2017. A highly anticipated car that will only be available to select Ferrari customers, the LaFerrari Spider would be a big attraction if it debuts at Paris.
Honda
A new, more exciting Civic is confirmed to be attending the 2016 Paris Motor Show and it’s a crucial car for the Japanese brand. The new Civic is set to be bigger and sportier than its predecessor, with a more striking design, improved driving experience and the latest tech. Two new engines will be available; turbocharged 1.0 and 1.5 VTEC petrol motors. We’ve already seen the American-spec cars out and about, but this image above is the first official confirmation of the European version.
We could also see a concept version of the next Honda Civic Type R at the Paris show. Featuring a slightly toned-down design from the rather radical-looking current car, the latest Type R could feature 340bhp+ and a 0-62mph time of around five seconds.
Hyundai
Hyundai’s new i30 will make its public debut at the show, after being revealed at a launch event in early September. The family hatch will have a tough job on its hands facing up to the Renault Megane and Vauxhall Astra, but a design rethink plus improved quality, handling and tech should give it a real chance. Also on the Hyundai stand will be the facelifted i10 supermini.
Kia
• Kia Rio
Kia’s Fiesta rival has been given a thorough going over, and will grace the brand’s stand at this year’s Paris show. It’s longer, lower and wider than its predecessor and features a much more aggressive-looking design, a new platform and interior improvements like a new floating touchscreen and cleaner dashboard.
Lexus
Lexus will reveal the UX concept at Paris – its most striking concept car yet. Little else is known about the concept as of yet, other than the fact that it has dimensions similar to the Audi Q2 and that “the interior combines traditional craftsmanship with high-tech manufacturing techniques.”
Land Rover
The new Land Rover Discovery is coming, and we’ve already seen the front end of it and Bear Grylls operate the rear seats via a skydive, but the car could be there after its official launch on September 28. It’s set to be more spacious but also much lighter than before, while the blocky design of the old Discovery will be lost in favour of the Discovery Sport’s styling cues. The new Discovery is predicted to roll into dealerships in early 2017 priced from around £45,000.
Mercedes
After a recent teaser, Mercedes has revealed its new Mercedes-AMG GT Roadster and faster AMG GT C Roadster ahead of its Paris debut. The latter ‘C’ car has 549bhp and 680Nm, and launches from 0-62mph in 3.7 seconds – 0.1 seconds faster than the AMG GT S coupe. The two roadsters car take heavy design influence from the hardcore AMG GT R, too.
Mercedes’ latest performance SUV will also make a showing. The new GLC 43 Coupe has the same 362bhp 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 as the rest of the AMG ’43’ cars we’ve already seen, and can do 0-62mph in 4.9 seconds. AMG detailing like bespoke alloy wheels, a subtle bodykit and flashes of carbon and red inside mark it out from the rest of the range.
MINI
MINI is keeping its cards close to its chest as to what will be revealed at Paris this year, but we’re led to believe that the all-new Countryman won’t be there. That could be shown at the LA Motor Show in November instead, but rumours suggest a hotter version of an existing MINI model could instead debut in France. That could be the hinted at Clubman John Cooper Works, but we’ll have to wait and see.
Mitsubishi
The main focus from Mitsubishi at Paris will be a new mid-sized hybrid SUV. The concept is named the Ground Tourer PHEV Concept or GT-PHEV, and is meant to fit in-between the ASX and the Outlander with a design much like the Range Rover Evoque. No production intent has been mentioned yet.
Nissan
Nissan is having another stab at the supermini segment with the long-awaited new Micra. As our spy shots and exclusive images show, it’ll feature a radical redesign based on the Sway concept, plus a host of advanced new tech and powertrains.
Confirmed to debut at the Paris Motor Show from Peugeot is the3008 – a mid-sized SUV that will take on the Nissan Qashqai and Kia Sportage. The highly anticipated mid-size SUV gets sleek looks, a brand new engine range and a new ‘i-Cockpit’ dashboard design along with a new GT version. Furthermore, a plug-in hybrid will be on its way in 2019.
The 3008 isn’t the only car getting an SUV facelift. The new seven-seat 5008 has been reshaped from a frumpy people carrier into a sharp SUV. Like the 3008, the larger 5008 will feature the new ‘i-Cockpit’ interior design and will rival the new Renault Grand Scenic.
Porsche
The all-new Panamera has technically already been launched – so much so that we’ve driven it in Turbo and 4S diesel guise – but it will make its way to the Paris Motor Show for a full public debut. Resembling a stretched 911 a little more than the previous generation, the new Panamera is also more practical in terms of boot space and a new ‘Sport Turismo’ model could boost that further in 2017. Paris will also be the location where the Panamera 4 E-Hybrid makes its first public appearance.
Renault
Home market stars Renault will debut the new Alaskan pick-up at Paris. The Alaskan is based on Nissan’s Navara with a similar switchable four-wheel-drive system. Taking a 187bhp diesel engine from Renault’s van range, the Alaskan is estimated to go on sale late this year carrying a £22,000 price tag. The facelifted Clio will also be on display and we could see the new Koleos SUVagain, too.
Skoda
Like a few cars on this list, we’ve already seen the Skoda Kodiaq in all its glory before the Paris show, but this will be its public debut. The new five- or seven-seat SUV will take on the likes of the Land Rover Discovery Sport and Kia Sorento when it goes on sale in 2017.
Smart
• Smart ForTwo and ForFour Electric
The recent release of new Smart models is now set to be followed up by the unveiling of fully electric versions of both the ForTwoand ForFour. Both cars will appear in showrooms early in 2017 and the electric ForTwo will be available in convertible form as well. The cars will be debuted publically at the Paris Motor Show along with the world debut of the Brabus enhanced ForTwo that goes on sale soon after the show.
SsangYong
A new SsangYong Rexton is to be previewed at the Paris Motor Show this year in the form of the LIV-2 concept, targeted at the Hyundai Santa Fe. This will provide an idea of what the production Rexton will look like when it is made available for customer purchase in 2017.
Suzuki
The next Suzuki SX4 S-Cross crossover has been confirmed and is heading to Paris for its official reveal. We’ve had our glimpse at the new car from this single image, and the new crossover is set to gain a new pair of Boosterjet turbo petrol engines and a 1.6-litre diesel, too.
Plus, the European-spec Suzuki Ignis will appear at the Paris show. The boxy supermini takes design inspiration from the SC100 ‘Whizzkid’ coupe, while its slightly raised ride height means it has aimed its sights at the Fiat Panda 4×4.
Vauxhall
Vauxhall has been a long time with this one, but as we’ve spotted it numerous times it’s very likely that Vauxhall will unveil its all-new Insignia. The Ford Mondeo rival will gain sleeker four-door coupe-like styling, a new range of petrol and diesel engines and tech that first debuted on the new Astra.
Based on the Chevrolet Bolt in the US, the Ampera-e is a small electric car that will be shown on the Opel stand this year. Unfortunately, the electric supermini will not be badged as a Vauxhall, as the UK-based brand and sister of Opel has announced that the Ampera-e will not be sold in the UK “in its current generation.”
Volkswagen
After a recent visit to a Volkswagen tech day, we reported on how the brand is gearing up for a surge in EVs in its core line-up. Its first offering, a fully-electric hatchback concept is tipped to beVW‘s headline act at this year’s Paris show, with a range of around 248 miles. The German brand is planning to then scale up the electric range in larger cars, reacing up to 370 miles by 2019.
Green Flag Knowledge bay 