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Coming Soon?
Paris Showcases Small Cars, Local Products
By Tony Whitney
Its official name is the Paris Mondial de l'Automobile, but to most us in the business on this side of the pond, it's the Paris auto show. It's by far the most important fall show in Europe every other year - it alternates with the huge Frankfurt show in Germany - and expectedly is a showcase for European products, many of which aren't sold in North America. Even so, this fall's show did feature a variety of new vehicles destined for Canada plus one or two products that may well turn up here sooner or later.
Last time around, the show attracted nearly 11,000 journalists to its press days and judging by the attendance this year, the number was topped by a fair margin, even if the air conditioning did fail during the opening press day to the great discomfort of all. The show covers 180,000 square metres and this year there were products from 27 countries on display.
Most of the world's major automakers attend the Paris show, although there are usually lots of smaller manufacturers there, many of them completely unknown to most North Americans. I was impressed by the number of Asian automakers at the show, including, among several others, Indian manufacturer Mahindra, and this may well be a hint of things to come as that continent gains momentum as a vehicle producer. Rumours abound of Asian automakers hitherto unknown here taking a run at the North American market and in today's global economy, anything is possible.
Footpower Required
The Paris show is staged in a seemingly unplanned collection of display halls scattered over a fairly large area. This factor does increase the amount of walking you have to do to cover all the exhibits, but it makes for a fascinating showgoing experience. You never quite know what you'll stumble on in the next hall you discover - it could be anything from (in the case of this year's Mondial) an exhibition linking cars with comic strips - mostly of French origin - or the biggest assemblage of model car merchants I've ever seen at any auto show.
But of course, it's the vehicles that really steal the show despite intriguing diversions and there was plenty there to interest those of us who attended to discover what's on the way to Canada over the next year or two.
Volkswagen took up almost an entire building with displays of its products and those of sister automakers Audi, Seat of Spain and Skoda of the Czech Republic. Upscale affiliates Lamborghini, Bentley and Bugatti were located in another building, closer to other luxury automakers.
VW's highlights included a sportwagon version of the compact A3, which will be coming to North America, and the new and much anticipated GTI performance hatchback. The GTI has a long history of achievement in its segment and the new car, with its turbocharged 2.0-litre engine, will surely be a big success when it arrives in Canada later next year as a 2006 model. I got an early preview of this new VW when I drove one from the company's vast Wolfsburg plant to the Paris show, a distance of some 1,200 km. In Europe and other markets, VW has smaller hatchbacks than the Golf on which the GTI is based - the Polo and Lupo - but there is no plan to bring these to our regions. The Golf hatchback and its Jetta cousin will arrive here some time next year and these products should attract interest from the fleet market.
Incidentally, VW and Audi have both adopted a new look which mostly involves the front end and grille. These products are going to be a lot more brash and recognizable in future years and the GTI, with its deep grille and multiple air inlets, is the first VW to get the treatment. Other models will surely follow this interesting new design approach.
Local Talents
North American manufacturers are getting more serious about offshore markets and in Paris, the best efforts in this respect seemed to come from Chrysler and General Motors. Chrysler was showing its Crossfire models (including the exciting new convertible), along with its new minivan with a groundbreaking seat stowage system with which both rows of rear seats fold flush with the floor. In Europe, Chrysler minivans can be had with diesel power and they seem quite popular, but don't look for them yet at your local dealership.
GM displayed its new Corvette models in both coupe and convertible form and also boasted one of the most interesting attractions at the show - a simulated design studio complete with artists creating concept drawings and design staff working on clay models of envisioned vehicles. Ford seemed to concentrate on its European products, but it did show the new Focus, a strong fleet prospect, which looks very slick. Since it uses a platform similar to the hot-selling Mazda3, it promises to be quite a car. Mercedes-Benz prompted some excitement by showing a couple of concept sports tourers - Vision B and Vision R, both of which are said to be coming our way in one form or another.
Quite naturally, the Paris show is very much a launching pad for new models by French manufacturers and there was certainly lots to see. French automakers like Renault, Citroen and Peugeot have a very individualistic way of creating automobiles and appear to be completely uninfluenced by rival automakers. I get lots of letters from people who've visited Europe and wonder why we can't buy all these wonderful Gallic vehicles over here, but the facts are clear. The cost of setting up a distribution operation in North America is huge and persuading dealers to spend millions establishing retail facilities for unproven vehicles is a daunting task.
Sticker Shock
And then there's pricing. You might think that the subcompact 1.6-litre Peugeot hatchback you spotted on your last European holiday is really cute and would sell well here, but when the sticker price is calculated in dollars and cents, the price would be way beyond what buyers in Canada would pay. Generally speaking, our existing system has just about every imaginable vehicle segment well covered and the task of breaking in with new model ranges is too challenging to contemplate.
Given the price of fuel in Europe it was no surprise to find a lot of display space devoted to microcars and vehicles using alternate fuels. Several manufacturers showed tiny Smart-size cars, though whether these sell in any great number is questionable. The Smart range is selling strongly and the two-seater is now available in Canada. The Mercedes-Benz subsidiary also showed its four-door model, which is destined for North America, and even a tiny sports car.
If I had any show favourites they would certainly include the new GTI - a model I once purchased in earlier guise - and the striking new Alfa Romeo 147, which battles in the same market slot as the VW Golf. The high-end luxury car segment seemed to be fairly quiet in Paris, possibly due to the monetary challenges currently faced by several European countries. I was interested to learn at the Audi press conference that the latest A8 luxury sedan is the top seller in its class at the moment.
Although many European automakers are experiencing financial setbacks right now, the Paris show was a lively, action-packed affair - possibly signaling better times just around the corner. fm
Tony Whitney is co-host of Ted and Tony's Inside Track on VTV, Speedvision and PBS, and Driver's Seat, seen Saturdays on Rogers SportsNet.
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