Paris Auto Show

Porsche Confirms 911 Speedster As the 991 Series' Last Hurrah

Introduced over the summer as a way of showcasing Porsche’s digitized rendering capabilities, the 911 Speedster Concept appeared in the flesh at the Paris Auto Show this week. It won’t remain a concept for much longer. With the 991 Series on its way out, Porsche has decided to make the Speedster its swan song, putting it into limited production early next year.

Styled to evoke nostalgia for the hunch-backed 356, the new Speedster is said to be limited to just 1,948 examples — a reference to the original model’s birth year.

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Here's a Solid Reason to Root for Peugeot's Return

Damn, you’re thinking. If I could get my hands on that. Just think — Italian leather shoes, a sport coat, people wrenching their necks as you drive past, Papa Was a Rolling Stone oozing from the stereo…

Okay, this fantasy has gone too far. The vehicle you see above is Peugeot’s e-Legend Concept, a vehicle that wins the “glimpse of the future” contest hands down. This is the kind of all-electric, all-wheel drive, partially autonomous vehicle we like looking at.

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Is Infiniti's Variable Compression Turbo the Holy Grail of Power and Efficiency?

It was 1998 and my friend Tom had just picked up a 1991 Eagle Talon TSI AWD.

“Ok, go ahead and floor it, but don’t rev it past 5,000 rpm,” Tom said.

I mashed the throttle and … nothing happened.

We were moving, but it was at the pace of a Toyota Corolla and nowhere near the rate of acceleration promised by the 2.0-liter turbo’s claimed 195 horsepower.

Disappointed, I left my foot on the throttle for a few seconds. Suddenly, I heard the whistle of the spooling turbo and a sudden shove of boost kicked in.

Four-cylinder turbo engines from the ‘90s were all similar to this. While they generated relatively big power at the top end, they also suffered from massive turbo lag and had fuel economy similar to a much larger V8.

Nissan’s new Variable Compression Turbo engine promises big power, minimal turbo lag, and decent fuel economy using some new trickery.

Is this the holy grail of turbocharged motors?

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BMW's Concept X2 Previews a Meaner Crossover; 3 Series Gran Turismo Goes Wide

It looks like BMW isn’t interested in slotting a slightly larger crossover above the X1 that resembles both it and the larger X3.

The automaker’s Concept X2, unveiled at the Paris Motor Show, is a departure from the brand’s existing utility lineup, with styling designed to appeal to a sportier buying demographic.

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Honda Civic Type R Prototype: The Wing You've Been Waiting For

Honda has provided a glimpse of the U.S.-bound Civic Type R at the Paris Auto Show, albeit in concept form (though the automaker prefers the near-production term “prototype”).

This Type R — designed in Japan, built in the UK, and destined (at last) for America — uses the Civic Hatchback as a canvas, then adds every visual performance indicator the automaker could get its hands on. Reportedly, it will have the power to back up its looks.

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Mercedes-Benz's Generation EQ Teases Its Electric Sub-brand

Mercedes-Benz has unveiled an all-electric SUV concept at the Paris Auto Show, strongly hinting at what we can expect from its recently announced EQ sub-brand.

The Generation EQ concept offers impressive range and up to 400 horsepower, which the automaker needs to compete with the likes of Tesla and rival BMW’s “i” sub-brand.

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Fifth-generation Land Rover Discovery Brings a Diesel to America

Land Rover pulled the wraps off the next-generation Discovery today at the Paris Auto Show, revealing a host of changes to the brand’s storied nameplate.

Not wanting anyone to mistake it for another SUV, the automaker kept some exterior styling cues from the outgoing LR4, but moved the overall shape in the direction of the Discovery Sport. However, the biggest changes hide beneath the Disco’s skin.

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Third Shoe Drops: Boatload of 2017 Honda Civic Hatchbacks Spied

The third addition to the Honda Civic lineup was recently spotted at a UK port, providing a glimpse of a vehicle we’ve only seen in prototype guise.

The Honda Civic hatchback shown at the Geneva Motor Show in March wasn’t a production model, but images posted on the CivicX forum show what American buyers can expect.

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Honda Civic Type R to Boast 340 Horsepower: Report

Honda’s America-bound Civic Type R promises to be a scorching front-wheel-drive hatch with a 340-horsepower turbo 2.0-liter, according to an overseas report. Run and hide, Volkswagen Golf R.

The British publication Auto Express released exclusive information on the next-generation Type R, which is expected to bow as a 2017 model and (finally) make its way to North American shores.

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Spied: Next-Generation Nissan Micra

Spy shots of the next-generation Nissan Micra undergoing road testing have rolled in from southern Europe.

Despite the camoflage, it’s the clear the next sub-subcompact Micra will be a departure from the bulbous current model, no doubt influenced by the Nissan Sway concept car unveiled at the 2015 Geneva International Motor Show.

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Honda Civic Hatchback Looks Mean in Leaked Photos

The Honda Civic hatchback concept that will debut at this week’s 2016 Geneva Motor Show will wear an aggressive-looking body, according to images leaked by Carscoops.

The five-door bodystyle hasn’t turned the acclaimed 10th-generation Civic into an ugly duckling. The sloping roofline transitions smoothly into the rear liftgate, which incorporates taillights identical to those of the Civic sedan.

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Paris 2014: Nissan Pulsar NISMO Debuts

The Nissan Pulsar NISMO made its debut at the 2014 Paris Auto Show Thursday, but it’ll never turn up in North American showrooms.

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Paris 2014: 2016 Audi TT Roadster Bows

You’ve seen the Audi TT Sportback. Now, it’s time for the 2016 Audi TT Roadster to shine at the 2014 Paris Auto Show.

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Paris 2014: Revised 2015 Ford C-Max Debuts

The Astonization of Ford continues, this time with the newly revised 2015 C-Max, bowing at the 2014 Paris Auto Show.

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Paris 2014: 2015 BMW X6 Revealed

Now capable of doing burnouts, the second-gen BMW X6 arrived at the 2014 Paris Auto Show with RWD for the first time.

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Paris 2014: Toyota C-HR Concept Revealed

A harbinger of things to come as far as design and style go, Toyota revealed the C-HR Concept at the 2014 Paris Auto Show.

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Paris 2014: Fiat 500X Debuts

The Jeep Renegade’s Italian sibling was revealed at today’s Paris Auto Show media day, and now Fiat dealers can breathe a sigh of relief: they’ll be getting a product that has a good chance of being competitive in North America.

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Paris 2014: Audi TT Sportback Revealed

Following up on the TT Allroad Shooting Brake and TT Offroad, Audi revealed the TT Sportback at the 2014 Paris Auto Show.

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Paris 2014: Volkswagen XL Sport Unveiled, Powered By Ducati

What happens when you mashup Italian motorcycle power with German engineering? The Volkswagen XL Sport happens.

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Paris 2014: Honda Unveils Refreshed, New Civic Models

With only days to go until the 2014 Paris Auto Show, Honda has gone ahead and unveiled its refreshed Civic and Civic Tourer, as well as the new Civic Sport.

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Paris 2014: Toyota C-HR Concept Unveiled Before Paris Debut

Want to know where Toyota might go in the near future for the crossover segment? The C-HR Concept as seen above might be a clue.

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Paris 2014: BMW 2 Series Convertible Entering Showrooms Early 2015

Set to make its global debut at the 2014 Paris Auto Show in October, the 2015 BMW 2 Series Convertible will enter showrooms in early 2015.

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Paris 2014: Infiniti Teases Q80 Inspiration Concept

Another day, another teaser. This time, Infiniti released a couple of vague images ahead of the 2014 Paris Auto Show, previewing the Q80 Inspiration concept.

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New Nissan Compact Hatch To Lead Fight For Increased European Growth

Eight years after the Nissan Almera left Europe, the automaker is planning a return to the C-segment hatch market in October, with the overall goal of 5 percent overall European market share by the end of FY 2016 in mind.

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2012 Paris Motor Show: Suzuki S-Cross Concept Embraces Crossover Trend And Ignores History (w/ Video)

While not mentioned explicitly, this is Suzuki’s SX4 replacement – the Dodge Caliber S-Cross Concept – which is all but ready for dealer showrooms for 2013.

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Guilt-Free Swank: Our Halo Is Green

Reporters of Reuters, roaming the floors of the doom-dominated Paris Auto Show, finally found a feel-good trend: Green supercars, or make that guilt-free kickass swank, targeted at cash-positive crisis-sated, climate-conscious consumers .

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Watch This Exclusive Video Of The McLaren P1

McLaren shows the P1 concept at the Paris Motor Show. Due to budgetary constraints, we had to outsource the video to India, and leave the reporting to Ireland’s Student News, which reports:

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2012 Suzuki S-Cross Concept: This Is The New SX4

What you see above is the S-Cross concept from Suzuki, set to bow at the Paris Auto Show in September. But, this C-segment concept isn’t a new model, instead a replacement for the Suzuki SX4.

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Paris Auto Show Outtakes: Oddities, Micros and Pole-Dancing Acts of Desperation

Having survived my first immersion, it’s clearer than ever to me why TTAC doesn’t “do” auto shows in the usual manner. The relentless PR pressure and hype is tedious. And in some cases, it borders on the absurd or desperate, like the Isuzu pole dancers. True, without her rubbing her oversize derriere to the booming beat on the pole installed in the back of a pickup, it’s doubtful that Isuzu would have had any attention whatsoever. Like the Honda and Mitsubishi stands, for instance, which were deserted. But there were pockets of interest, genuine and contrived.

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Paris Auto Show: A Walk And Talk About Cars

You don’t need TTAC to tell you what’s new at this year’s Paris auto show. If you want the re-hashed-yet-excited PR-based bits about the newest 515 HP sports car concept, or if you want to hear about which electric cars VW will maybe/probably/possibly introduce in 2014, and how great they already are at this very moment, then you probably know where to go.

Yet there is, undoubtedly, plenty of stuff from Paris worth writing about. For any car nut, the place is a Xanadu. Especially for me personally, when the opportunity presented itself to see the Paris show with one of my very favorite automotive writers (and I’m not just saying that because he’s the boss’ father), Paul Niedermeyer. Here’s an (edited, because you don’t want to spend the next three hours reading this), highly subjective conversation between two car fans. – Martin Schwoerer

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Volkswagen Launches 7th Generation Passat

When I started as a budding (and driver’s license less) copywriter on the Volkswagen account in fall of 1973, they were just introducing a (for Volkswagen) highly unusual car. They called it the Passat. After that followed in rapid-fire fashion the Golf, the Scirocco, the Polo. They turned the company around. And kept me employed for more than 30 years. With the Golf being the volume Weltmeisterr, it is often forgotten that it was the Passat that started a new era at Volkswagen. And now, the car enters its 7th generation.

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(Not So) Wild Ass Rumor Of The Day: Lincoln To Go Global?

When Alan Mulally took over at Ford and sold off Jaguar and Volvo, a few people (me included) wondered as follows:

Having “Ford” as a global brand is well enough, but how will they compete in the more profitable luxury market?

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Editorial: American Leyland Watch: Plans, Trains and Automobiles
Editorial: American Leyland Watch: Plans, Trains and Automobiles
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6-litre Twin-Turbo V8 Bentley Arnage "Final Series"
6-litre Twin-Turbo V8 Bentley Arnage "Final Series"
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Let Them Eat Strudel: Porsche Chief Dismisses Move to Smaller Cars
Let Them Eat Strudel: Porsche Chief Dismisses Move to Smaller Cars
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Paris Auto Show: Ferrari California Sold Out 'til 2011
Paris Auto Show: Ferrari California Sold Out 'til 2011
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ChryCo Prez Jim Press, GM COO Fritz Henderson: No Recovery 'til 2010
ChryCo Prez Jim Press, GM COO Fritz Henderson: No Recovery 'til 2010
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Nissan – Porsche Cat Fight Continues: "GT-R Ring Time Discrepancy Down to Driver"
Nissan - Porsche Cat Fight Continues: "GT-R Ring Time Discrepancy Down to Driver"
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Paris Auto Show: A Short Test Drive in the Electric Mitsubishi IMiEV
Paris Auto Show: A Short Test Drive in the Electric Mitsubishi iMiEV
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Paris Auto Show: The Toyota IQ is Smarter Than Smart Car
Paris Auto Show: The Toyota iQ is Smarter than Smart
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