From mega event to tragedy

Three men in suits going to the car show. One of his colleagues asked, “Where are we going first?” he asks. “Audi, Porsche or VW?” Loud laughter shows that all three knew they would search in vain for the stands of these brands (even today) here at the 89th Mondial de l’Auto. As early as 2018, the Paris Motor Show was one of the most important auto shows in the world; It’s the home game for French brands where the European competition is trying to steal as much of the show as possible. Even then, there were fewer participants than there are now – but it was hoped that this could be addressed with new concepts in the future.

But then inflation hit after the corona pandemic, declines in sales due to delivery problems, and the Ukraine war. And now there is no new concept to help Mondial stand up. Alpine, Dacia, DS, Peugeot, their US brethren Jeep and Renault still carry the flag of established brands: Alpine shows Alpenglow design work, Peugeot 408 crossover and Renault bring three real innovations to the scene. The 4Ever Trophy is the name of an all-electric B-SUV study whose design details are borrowed from the legendary Renault 4 built between 1961 and 1992. The three-engine Renault 5 Turbo 3E could be the sports version of the electric Renault 5, due to launch in 2024. Also, Renault CEO Luca de Meo (54) pulled the fabric from the 120 hp electric version of the Kangoo high-roof station wagon. Jeep introduced the first Stromer, the Avenger, and just announced an upcoming 4×4 version.

German manufacturers? no

But all other brands – and even Citroën – are notable for their absence. Instead, start-ups for mobility services, suppliers and energy suppliers fill the halls. A fair like the village of Potemkin – if you look behind the stands, there is usually nothing but empty space. Extending the hall concept to include mobility in general – this is not a liberating act but a painful necessity to get a significant number of participants.

You can still find surprises. First, the new brand is Hopium: the all-French company founded three years ago by French racing driver Olivier Lombard (31) wants to start with a production version of a hydrogen luxury sedan that should travel up to 1,000 kilometers in a tank in 2025. The plan is for 20,000 cars per year with a unit price of 120,000 Euros. It starts in France, Germany and Switzerland.

Chinese brands on the rise

Second, new providers from Asia are making a big splash. Chinese automakers Build Your Dreams (BYD) and Great Wall Motors are showing their offerings to be launched in Europe. BYD has three models with Tang and Atto 3 SUV and Han sedan; Great Wall starts with the SUV Wey Coffee 01 and the small car Ora Funky Cat with Emil Frey Holding as the European importer. The Vietnamese brand Vinfast is also about to make its way to Europe and presented the new compact SUV VF7 for the VF8 and VF9 models. All three companies no longer have anything to do with combustion engines: This Paris Motor Show is a quiet event, not only because of the subtle resonance, but also because of the whisper-quiet electric drives of the new products.

But all of a sudden it got very, very loud: A starter rattled – and then a Corvette V8 tuned to 1000 hp, packed into a Fiat Multipla set to become a rally car, roared. Stage applause erupts; crowd cheers: sound alone elevates the conservative Fiat, considered a low point in car design, to the status of a crowd-puller. The “Milletipla” project was started by two French YouTubers who raised 1.1 million francs through fundraising. The influencers of the digital world are proving to the auto industry that you can bring an auto show to life. of everything.