Small is chic in gay Paris

Sep 30 2008 Steve Hughes

THE rapidly changing face of automobiles is graphically illustrated by the plethora of small cars being displayed at the Paris Motor Show.

If they're not so small, then they are hybrid, dual-fuel or one of the many models that now wear some sort of eco badge.

Large premium models such as the new BMW 7 Series, Bentley Arnage Final Series, Audi RS6, Volkswagen Golf GTI and Ferrari California are among those that stand out defying the trend to go small.

The emphasis is increasingly upon at least being seen to be green, even if it is nothing more than a token gesture in the form of some fictitious eco-friendly concept or other.

Models such as the Chevrolet Volt, Toyota iQ, Ford Fiesta ECOnetic, Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid and Opel EcoFlex Sports Tourer are representative of the spread of environmentally-friendly models ranging from creative concepts from the virtual world to likely best-sellers destined for the real world.

Even companies such as BMW, which is showing off its new 7 Series executive range and X6 sports 4x4 is also introducing its smallest SUV in the form of the new X1 whilst its British subsidiary MINI is showcasing a crossover concept.

Toyota's clever iQ model will take the title of Europe's smallest four-seat model when it arrives here in a few months with an overall length of under ten feet.

Chevrolet will be hoping that its aptly-named Volt plug-in hybrid model will gain mainstream backing, encouraged by the increasing acceptance of Toyota's hybrid Prius, which differs by using regenerative charging for the batteries rather than hooking up to the mains overnight.

Honda is also aiming to get in on the act with its Insight model, which is billed as a concept at Paris and lines up alongside Hyundai's Hybrid Santa Fe, which is a Korean first.

Hyundai is also showing its new i20 and iX55 models, whilst fellow Korean manufacturer Kia is baring its Soul.

Even the manufacturers of unashamedly large models such as Lexus, Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz and BMW are doing their best to make the models as environmentally-friendly as possible, such as the Lexus hybrid range and BMW's EfficientDynamics.

In the case of the new Beemer the company reckons that every little helps, hence the use of stop-start technology to switch the engine off in traffic and even intelligent cooling vents that fold back into the body when not needed in order to improve aerodynamics.

Of course for the super performance-oriented brands such as Lotus, Bentley and Ferrari the concept of environmental-friendliness is almost a contradiction in terms.

The new Lotus Evora, Ford Focus RS, Audi RS6, Ferrari California and Bentley Arnage Final Series are making their debuts, as are several important newcomers that are expected to become best sellers, such as the stylish new Ford Ka, Volkswagen Golf, Vauxhall Insignia and France's home-grown Renault Megane, Citroen C3 Picasso and Peugeot Prologue.

The show opens at the weekend and here are some of the new models due to be revealed:

Audi RS 6

Bentley Arnage Final Series

BMW 7 Series

Brilliance BS4

Brilliance BS6

Chevrolet Cruze

Chevrolet Volt

Citroen C3 Picasso

Ferrari California

Ford Fiesta Econetic

Ford Focus RS

Ford Ka

Hyundai i20

Hyundai iX55

Hyundai Santa Fe hybrid

Kia Soul

Lamborghini sports car of some sort

Lexus IS sedan and convertible

Lotus Evora

Mazda MX-5

Nissan Pixo

Nissan Note

Opel Insignia

Renault Megane

Suzuki Alto

Toyota Avensis

Toyota iQ

Toyota Urban Cruiser

Volkswagen Golf