Gallery: The 11 Coolest Cars From the Paris Motor Show
Lamborghini01Lamborghini Asterion
Lamborghini may be synonymous with excess, but its latest concept, the Asterion LPI 910-4, shows the Italians do care at least a smudge about fuel efficiency: This charging bull is a plug-in hybrid electric that delivers a remarkable 75 mpg.
Lamborghini02Lamborghini Asterion Stephan Winkelmann
But it’s not exactly restrained. The combination of three electric motors and a naturally aspirated 5.2-liter V10 engine produces over 900 horsepower, enough to send this hybrid from a standstill to 62 mph in three seconds flat.
Jaguar Land Rover03Jaguar XE
Jaguar has been on a roll this past year, putting the terrific F-Type sports car on the market and making us shiver with delight at the resurrected racing version of the iconic E-Type. Now it’s making good on its plans to expand into more segments with the XE, an all-new midsize sedan set to compete with the BMW 3 Series.
Jaguar Land Rover04Jaguar XE
The most aerodynamic Jag ever, the XE packs a supercharged 3-liter V6 engine that will send it from 0 to 60 mph in 4.9 seconds. In the event of a collision with a pedestrian, the hood automatically pops up a few millimeters, creating a cushion of air between the relatively soft aluminum and the much harder engine underneath.
DS05Citroen DS Divine Concept
France’s Citroen used the home court advantage to reveal one of the craziest we’ve come across in quite a while. Produced for DS, the automaker’s luxury division, the Divine concept will never be built, but comes with a lot of intriguing design details that could make their way onto the road.
DS06Citroen DS Divine Concept
Don’t expect to see those insane doors on a dealership lot, or the scale-like things (whatever those are) that cover the rear window. But we won’t be surprised if elements of this angular, edgy, near reptilian look creep into production cars, especially since DS plans to double its lineup from three to six models.
Audi07Audi TTS Concept
With the TT Sportback Concept, Audi fills a niche we didn’t realize needed to be filled. It took the small sports car and made it a bit longer, a bit wider, and added two doors.
Audi08Audi TTS Concept
The four door result, which Audi deems a coupe, will hit 60 mph from a standstill in under four seconds, thanks to the turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine under the hood, and the Quattro all-wheel drive system.
Volvo09Volvo XC90
Volvo is relaunching its brand, and it's kicking things off with the XC90, which will hit the market in the spring. The premium SUV comes with a new four-cylinder—the Swedish brand is done with V6 and V8 engines—and is packed with active safety features that make it "semi-autonomous."
Volvo10Volvo XC90 Interior
Inside the XC90, Volvo focused on infotainment, replacing good old fashioned buttons with a touchscreen. As we see it, this is something of a safety hazard, forcing drivers who want to do things like turn on the air conditioning to take their eyes off the road.
Mazda11Mazda Miata MX-5
Just a month after revealing the latest reincarnation of one of the most beloved sports cars ever, Mazda used the Paris Motor Show to tell us the MX-5 (aka the Miata) will be powered by a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, at least in the U.S.
Mazda12Mazda Miata MX-5
We don’t have any specific power production numbers but yet, but Mazda promises “the fun-to-drive essence that only MX-5 can offer.” We’ll know more before the car hits dealerships mid-2015.
Ferrari13Ferrari 458 Speciale Aperta
The interesting thing about the Ferrari 458 Speciale Aperta isn’t the fact that it exists, or that it’s got an open top that will let the sonic boom from the 597-hp V8 engine flood directly into your ear canals. What matters here is that this will likely be the final iteration of the glorious 458, and the end of Ferrari’s devotion to naturally aspirated engines.
Ferrari14Ferrari 458 Speciale Aperta
Ferrari is preparing a successor to the 458, which means those who love the car—which should be everyone with eyes, ears, or a heart bigger than the Grinch’s—should ogle the Aperta all they can. Oh, and it goes from 0 to 60 mph in three seconds flat.
Nissan15Nissan NISMO Pulsar
The Paris show tends to focus on the luxury and supercar segments, so it’s nice to see Nissan putting a good old hot hatch on the floor. Behold the Pulsar Nismo Concept.
Nissan16Nissan NISMO Pulsar
The Nismo version makes the ordinarily staid five-door Pulsar look like a blast, covered in aerodynamic flourishes, sitting lower to the ground, and equipped with a new suspension to keep it going on track day.
Toyota17Toyota Fuel Cell Sedan
The automotive public may be focused on hybrids and battery-powered electric vehicles to save them from wallet-crushing gas bills, but Toyota sees another way: Hydrogen. The unimaginatively named Fuel Cell Sedan made its European debut in Paris.
Toyota18Toyota fuel cell sedan
The car can drive 300 miles on a full tank of hydrogen, refill in just a few minutes, and the exhaust pumps out nothing but water vapor. But there are downsides the technology: It’s expensive. Hydrogen fuel is hard to find, no cheaper than gas, and its production can produce greenhouse gases, if it’s generated from natural gas.
Infiniti19Infiniti Q80 Inspiration Concept
For Paris, Infiniti trotted out the ambitiously named Q80 Inspiration concept.
Infiniti20Infiniti QX80 concept
As a design study, it's superb. Unfortunately, we don't expect the struggling luxury arm of Nissan to make a production car that looks anything like it.
Volkswagen21Volkswagen XL Sport
Two years after buying Ducati, Volkswagen has done something unexpected: It took the motorcycle brand’s 197-bhp V-twin engine, used on the 1199 Superleggara bike, and slapped it under the hood of a car. Thus we have the XL Sport concept.
Volkswagen22Volkswagen XL Sport
That Ducati engine is the world’s most power V-twin. Thanks to the XL’s minimalist and aerodynamic design, it will be enough to send the concept from 0 to 60 mph in 5.7 seconds, and up to a top speed of 168 mph.
