Show Report - Paris Motor Show 2012

I N M OTI O N

pariS 2012:

The Great British Bail-Out At a rather poor Paris Motor Show, James McCarthy witnesses a British invasion force once again saving the locals’ blushes, while at the same time beating off some stiff competition from the Germans.

PHOTOGRAPHY: PHIL MCGOVERN, AWESOME GROUP

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T

he austere gloom that hung like a pall over the Geneva Motor Show earlier this year was equally evident in rainy Paris.

There were not many cheery faces at the 2012 Mondial de l’Automobile and, unlike its bi-annual running mate, the Frankfurt Motor Show, there was very little exciting news.

It was very much a British affair, when it came to the highlights, particularly on the first day, with the press programme being topped and tailed by some of Albion’s finest automotive unveils to date. That

aside, apart from some cool concepts, everything else had a decidedly eco-friendly and budget motoring feel.

The F-Word It was an early start on the first day, with bleary-eyed motoring hacks convening at the Jaguar stand at the ungodly time of 7:45am, in order to get a decent spot for what, as it would turn out, would be the best news of the show.

Jaguar’s design maven, Ian Callum, unveiles the gorgeous F-Type to a waiting world..

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Regular SLT readers might remember last year’s Frankfurt report, in which I gushed over the Jaguar C-X16 concept as being the company’s longawaited saviour in the sports coupe segment of the market. At the time I urged them to fastrack the car into production and, while I would never be so vain as to suggest they listened to me, the cacophony of approval from all corners of the world’s media seemed enough of a push.

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With pretty much every single sensual line intact from the concept of a year ago, the F-Type invokes all of the post-war hedonism and rakish, pencil-moustachioed charm of its E-Type predecessor, thanks in part to its long sweeping bonnet, an opulentlyappointed, rear positioned cabin and, depending on the spec, a V8 growl that will twist knickers at 500 yards. The main aesthetic alteration from the concept is the roof, or lack thereof. JLR decided that the inaugural F-Type should be a convertible, and who are we to argue. The thing is stunning.

Performance-wise, Jag has kept the F-Type pretty much in line with the figures mooted for the CX-16 a year ago. The front-engine, rear-wheel drive sportscar will arrive in three

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iterations, the standard F-Type, The F-Type S and the F-Type V8 S and with the three models come a trio of supercharged engine configurations. In the standard spec, the 3.0-litre V6 gets pumps out 335bhp, pushing the car from 0-60mph in 5.1sec and to a limited top speed of 161mph.

When you start to move up the range, the performance starts to set the pulse racing as much as the aesthetics, the V6 S lays down 375bhp and does the 0-60mph dash in 4.8sec to a limit of 171mph. With the top of the range V8 S, you won’t see to much change out of $160,000 but the 5.0-litre V8 will chuck its driver to a top speed of 186mph, employing all of its 488bhp and capping the 60mph mark from a standing start in a mere 4.3sec. Not quite supercar stats, but more than enough to get the blood pumping in all the right places. There are some visual cues, so you’ll know which F-Type you are trailing behind on the road.

The centrally-mounted twin pipes look the part as they poke out of the back of the V6 models, while the two sets of twin exhausts on either side of the crouching back end of the V8 S will have automotive audiophiles quivering with delight. In reality, though, it doesn’t really mater how fast it goes. It is the car that will redefine Jaguar as a sports car manufacturer. It is a triumph; a show stealing-beforeit’s-even-started tour de force. The F-Type is pretty, oozes cool and is, hopefully, exciting to drive. Even if it is not, it still achieved the nigh on unachievable: it shook from their jaded torpidity, a few hundred journalists at 8am on a rainy Thursday morning in Paris and became the first car in very long time to give me goosebumps.

Bentley signalled a return to motorsport..

Eco Road Warriors While VW’s big group night was an audio visual ballet of colour and, again, dubstep, there was very little of interest on show at the top end of the company’s portfolio. Highlights included the new Lamborghini Gallardo-range, which while having a refresh after a decade of being the marque’s top seller, is essentially unchanged underneath bonnet. Bugatti rolled out out another Vitesse iteration which, while beautiful, is still a case of the “same car, but different.” A brief conversation with Stefan Brungs, head of Sales & Marketing, hinted that the Galibier concept of a few years ago is still in the pipeline, yet he remained vague on when a working concept might purr to life on the floors of a European show. We can only hope that this long wait for the a four-door Bug doesn’t end with another luxury SUV. Ettore will be spinning so hard in his grave that half of Strasbourg will get sucked into the resulting sinkhole. We can but hope that the current management don’t do unto his memory what Bentley’s board are doing to W.O.’s with the EXP-9F. Speaking of the original Bentley boy, his brand made an announcement that he would be more in tune with, with news of a re-entry into motor-racing. A Continental GT3-spec model was paraded around, but no news on whether it will see tarmac as a road-legal

customer car, or whether it will see a Le Mans line up - where Bentley first made a real name for itself with racing honours.

Then there was Porsche, which somehow managed to deliver a seventeen percent uglier “estate” version of its already hideous Panamera, rolled out under the moniker “Sport Tourismo.”

The Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo..

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The soectacular-looking Mercedes SLS AMG Coupé Electric Drive..

What was interesting from VW was the raft of electric hybrid cars at the mid- to low-end of its spectrum. Pretty much every other car was a Blu Motion this or an eco-friendly that. The company also made the announcement that by 2016, at least one car in every segment of its market - and across all of its brands - will have an electric hybrid model.

Quite how this will play out for the Bentleys, Bugattis and Lambos is yet to be seen, but Porsche is taking a lead with its spectacular 918 Spyder, which is due to hit showrooms at some point in the next twelve months.

Also making a big play on the eco-drive was another German powerhouse, Mercedes.

The last car in its line-up that I expected to see targeting the polar-bear lobby was the already iconic AMG SLS, but there it was, shimmering in a blue chrome wrap. The new SLS AMG Coupé Electric Drive has four electric motors producing a total output of 552 kW and a maximum torque of 1000 Nm. As a result, claims Merc, the gullwing model has become the world’s fastest electrically-powered series production vehicle, boasting a zero to 100 km/h sprint time of 3.9 seconds and can reach a top speed of 250 km/h.

The dynamics of the tourque delivery can be manually adjusted across three modes, “comfort,” “sport,” and “sport plus.”

While the immediate torque delivery will create a, possibly, more dynamic driving experience, the SLS only works as a near perfect supercar when every element is in place. You need to have the gullwing doors (check), the speed and acceleration (check) and, of course, the cacophony of sound produced by that monster 6.3-litre V8. You know, the one that sounds like armageddon and makes unicorns weep at its raw, visceral beauty? Umm... apparently, check...

According to Mercedes, after an elaborate series of in-house tests as well as numerous test drives, the AMG experts have created an artificial soundtrack. Starting with a characteristic start-up sound, which rings out on pressing the “Power” button, there is a tailor-made driving sound for each driving situation: incredibly dynamic when accelerating, subdued when cruising and as equally characteristic during recuperation.

The sound is not only dependent on road speed, engine speed and load conditions, but also reflects the driving conditions and the vehicle’s operating state. All of this is pumped through the 11-speaker surround sound audio system, which makes the cabin of the AMG Coupé Electric Drive possibly the only place on earth that cannot get infected by the lilting tweeny tones of Justin Bieber. That alone has to be worth the eye-watering $550,000 asking price.

Also taking a top-billing in the green motoring stakes was Fisker, which finally brought its first showroom to the Gulf and officially launched its Karma in the region earlier in November. The company has also just completed its latest round of venture capital funding, raising another $100 million or so for its coffers, no small part of which was supplied by Qatar, which is heavily involved in funding the Californian company.

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“Very early on I went to a meeting in Dubai with a person from Qatar,” explains founder and executive chairman, Henrick Fisker. “They made the first investment in the company and today Qatar is one of the biggest investors.

They understood very early on our vision that if you want to live in a healthy world you need to have cars that you can switch into zero emission mode when you are driving around your home neighbourhood. It is nothing to do with the fact you don’t use oil.”

Unlike Toyota’s much vaunted Prius or VW’s Blu Motion, the Karma is a car with a fairly unique hybrid system.

Basically it is a single-gear electric sports car, pumping out huge amounts of torque and acceleration, but when the power starts to wane, a low-emission gasolinepowered generator delivers further electric power to keep the car moving. The car also features the world’s largest automotive solar panel in the roof.

However, early test drives have been marred by some reports of exploding batteries, charging issues and other troubles brought on by the harsh GCC environment. The company, though, claims that the Karma is problem-free and ready to take the region’s roads by storm. “We have done all the tests,” says co-founder Benrhard Koehler.

“We have made a few adjustments and little changes to things like the fan, which is a bit bigger. We have double seams, so sand is not an issue. We did the sand test in Detroit; we did a hot weather wind tunnel. We did everything and the car performed well.”

Addressing the problem of the GCC’s questionable electric power delivery, he added: “The solar panel in the roof will deliver about one hundred and thirty watts come rain or shine, giving you about 300km a year of completely free charging. Equally, because we charge with 3.3 kilowatts, when you plug it into a normal outlet, it doesn’t matter if its 110w or 220w, it takes five and a half hours. If you needed 20 or 30 kilowatts to charge the car, then it is an issue.”

A bit like the Mercedes, there is an artificial sound system to warn pedestrians that the Karma is about to pounce.

The Fisker Karma..

However, unlike the Merc, this noise simulation comes with a twist. “We actually went to Hollywood and talked to the people that actually worked on the Batman movies and said that we want a sound like the Batmobile,” explains Fisker. “So we actually got that for the weatherprotected external speakers. As you accelerate the volume goes up, with a limit at 50km/h.”

Coupled with the reclaimed wood touches, recycled glass paintwork and environmentally-conscious fixtures and fittings, the car is definitely the genuine article and not just some big conglomerate’s lip service to the emissions lobby.

But does it do what it says on the tin?

Shortly after speaking with Fisker and Koehler, SLT got to do a circuit of the Porte de Versailles in the Karma.

The cabin is as quiet as a Rolls-Royce and far more comfortable than most low-slung supercars, while the delivery of power when you touch the “loud” pedal is staggering in its responsiveness, thanks to the vast

amounts of torque at your disposal. Equally, at the relatively low, suburban speeds we were pootling along at, the car still felt light and nimble, though it took a little while to get a handle on the width of the vehicle. The only real issue that I had was the visibility. It just seemed that the fat A-pillar was always in my line of sight. However, that shouldn’t dampen anybody’s enthusiasm for what is potentially a groundbreaking, segment-busting car and I remain fascinated by the Karma. We will, hopefully, get the opportunity to give it a proper workout in the near future.

To The Macs While Jag opened the show with a bang, it was down to McLaren to close the first day with some more British fireworks. The last press conference of the day took place on the company’s stand (the first time Mclaren Automotive has ever exhibited at a motor show) which sat overlooking the JLR installation and the F-Type which McLaren’s new unveiling had to match. Merely a few days before, the McLaren Special Operation team had released to the world pictures of the one-off X-1, an MP4-12C with a completely reworked body that looked like the bastard child of a PT-Cruiser and a 1950 Citroen. It’s aesthetic had divided the world’s automotive hacks, with some proclaiming it a work of genius and others an abomination, so we were keen to see what lay beneath the parachute silk on the company’s minimalist stand.

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BBC F1 presenter, Lee McKenzie with McLaren’s top brass, Ron Dennis and Anthony Sheriff..

The P1 has a mid-engine design that uses a carbon fibre monocoque and roof structure safety cage concept called a MonoCage - a development of the MonoCell used in the current 12C and 12C Spider. The structure of the MonoCage, unlike the 12C’s MonoCell, also serves to guide air into the engine through an integral roof snorkel and air intake ducts, saving further weight.

It has much higher levels of downforce than any current road car, with 600kg achieved at well below its maximum speed of plus-200mph (about five times as much downforce as the McLaren MP4-12C, from which it is derived).

The new McLaren P1..

While the huge crowd waited in breathless anticipation, I did get the chance to see the MP4-12C Spider in the metal for the first time. Whether or not SLT will get to take the wheel and give it an examination is yet to be seen but, even when static, it stirs more in me than the coupe, which I still believe, looks rather benign.

When the time came, McLaren rolled out company bigwigs Ron Dennis and Antony Sheriff, along with the BBC’s F1 presenter, Lee McKenzie, who delivered the launch as a Q&A. After rattling through the company’s history and F1 achievements, they finally pulled the silk teepee up to the reveal the company’s third new car in 18 months, the McLaren P1. At first glance, it looks a lot like a more extreme version of the MP4-12C, however, the car, which is currently a design study, is mooted to be the successor to the legendary McLaren F1.

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Though McLaren wouldn’t specify engine details, it has confirmed its power-to-weight ratio will exceed 600bhp per tonne, though given the fact that the P1 employs the same carbon tub and wheelbase as the 12C, an educated guess would point to some iteration of the twin-turbo V8 already in use in the current line up. The P1 will be limited to a production run of just 500 cars, possibly in order to justify its $1.3 million price tag. With a remit to create the “best driver’s car on road and track,” expect the McLaren hype-machine to spring into life around July or August 2013 for a September launch, with the finished product possibly making its debut at next year’s Frankfurt motor show.

Peugeot’s Onyx conept was breathtaking .

Get Down Onyx While most of the Paris headlines were being hogged by Les Rosbifs with their McLarens and Jaguar F-types, the points for the best concept car were definitely chalked up to the home team. Peugeot’s Onyx supercar is not only exquisite in the fact that it’s a cool French car, but also in its build, design and ability to actually work. This is not just your average “on the show but doesn’t go” effort, it is capable of doing three figures courtesy of a 600bhp, 3-litre hybrid V8 turbodiesel powerplant and six-speed gearbox which have been lifted straight from Peugeot’s now defunct Le Mans racer. Not bad for a car made from copper, felt and old newspapers. Yes, you read that correctly. The stunning carbon fibre exterior not only has a sultry, sweeping shape, but is dominated by an imposing set of hand-beaten, 0.8mm thick pure copper front wings.

as it is one-off concept that will not be homologated and fast-tracked to production.

The company noted that it is not a supercar maker and that the Onyx is just a testbed for new techniques and an opportunity for its designers to flex their creative muscles. Saying that, it is not unlikely that some touches and cues will not find their way into future Peugeot cars, just take a look at the the stunning “bubble-roofed” RCZ concept that became a successful reality and, possibly, a saving grace, for the company which was struggling in a tough European automotive market.

Regardless of what it may, or may not, spawn in the future, the Onyx was without a doubt the most coveted of concepts at what was a weak show for design innovation and headlinegrabbing launches. However, while Peugeot may have pulled back some pride for the Tricolore, just like at Waterloo in 1815 and Agincourt 400 years prior, it was the British that won the day at Porte de Versailles in 2012.

To accomplish this striking veneer, the company had to come up with a new way of opening the doors, meaning that the panel gradually separates and drops to cover the front wheels as the door opens. Very futuristic and very cool. That’s when the felt and pulped tabloids come into play, with a seamless covering of the boiled wool adorning nearly every surface in the cockpit, apart from the dashboard and parts of the centre console, these are made from recycled editions of L’Equipe and The Sun (probably), which have been compressed and processed so tightly that they have basically become wood again, meaning they can be carved, shaped and polished as such.

Sadly, though, it is unlikely that you will see a fleet of Peugeot Onyxes in convoy up the Champs Elysee,

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