Car Design News was on the ground in Paris this year and reported on all the latest launches, trends and conversations with designers as they happened. Read on for a recap
All eyes are on Paris this week as arguably the biggest motor show in Europe kicks off. Geneva’s exit from the calendar makes Paris all the more significant, placing a spotlight not only on new cars and announcements but also the motor show as a concept. The CDN team is on the ground at the show and will be reporting live – so stop by for live updates as they come, plus full interviews to follow, naturellement.
Renault – the star of the show?
While the Renault 4 grabbed most of the headlines, tucked in among the numerous 4s and 5s was an all-new concept called the Emblème. The intriguingly handsome 4800mm long and 1520m high shooting brake was unveiled with some fanfare by CEO Luca de Meo as a design which could reduce CO2 emissions by 90% across its lifecycle when compared to an equivalent car today (or from from 50 tonnes to five, cradle to grave).
A Paris concept which did show an interior – and a very dramatic one – was the Alpine A390β fastback. CDN spoke with design director Antony Villain who explained that the fastback’s exterior was pretty much faithful to the production EV due in 2025 (the press release says 85%) and would use the same platform as the Scenic with a similar wheelbase, but lower. Villain so confirmed what we knew all along: that the cabin was way more conceptual. But what a cabin!
An unlikely showstopper was a new van concept called the Estafette. First shown last month at the IAA Transportation show in Hanover, seeing the van up close in France was a joy and a revelation. Aside from the striking mono-colour yellow driver-centric dashboard and jokey “Back in 45” digital messages running ticker-tape style across its bonnet, the innovative concept package has a more serious purpose in showing how a delivery driver could work differently.
A legend returns
We last saw legendary designer Shiro Nakamura at the 2023 Goodwood Festival of Speed, proudly displaying a two-seater sportscar that he described as a dream project. This time, the concept on show was quite different: a suicide door sedan with innovative technology throughout, all aimed at refreshing the user experience.
The car in fact came together when THK wanted to showcase its various in-house technologies and components, making the car something of a rolling catalogue. We are all here for it, and speaking to CDN from the stand, Nakamura clearly enjoyed working on it. The centre piece is the monolithic centre console which combines soft-touch materials with integrated tech, but there are some party tricks too. The seats, for example, seem to perch on the floor and glide along with no visible seat rails – almost like a poltergeist is at work.
Cadillac Optiq Artiq
A concept car from Cadillac? At the Paris Motor Show? In 2024? You bet. This one is a modified version of the Optiq, very clearly aimed at those planning expeditions in harsh climates. More specifically, it is positioned as “the future of luxury winter travel” and features beefed up tyres and a roof rack for skis. A quite unexpected but very welcome addition to the show which risked feeling purely Sino-French given the weighting of homegrown and Chinese brands elsewhere.
GAC
Drawing quite the crowd, GAC rolled out the Aion V – a new crossover-esque model for the European market. To our surprise, this was not a project that enlisted the talents of the brand’s Milan studio and led entirely from HQ in China. Showcased in bright orange, the roof features contrast white and black paint. Like some other models we’ve seen around the show, there is a chequered treatment of the C-pillar. And at the same time, the sensors that support partially-automated driving are in full view rather than hidden away. Sensors can be seen on the bonnet and roof line.
Forthing
The offshoot of Dongfeng has built its brand primarily around MPVs it seems, but it was a four-door sedan that had its covers lifted today in Paris. The S7 certainly has presence and looked long even alongside a large minivan. Thin headlights are characteristic of Chinese EVs and feels suitably homogenous, if we are being brutally honest.
CDN nabbed a seat in the (packed) press conference where there was less of a focus on design and more on tech, safety and comfort, but there are some nice touches up close. The C-pillar window has a dappled effect that blends the glass into the paintwork, for example. It seems that Peugeot is not the only brand with a black and white lion on its bonnet.
Citröen
“Citröen is back!” proclaimed CEO Thierry Koskas in an energetic presentation in which he revealed new versions of the C4, C4X, Ami (which also came in a rugged Buggy form) and a C5 Aircross concept in a striking green paint job. The latter featured a chunky aesthetic and a strong stance but the most interesting element of the latter is the winged tailights.
For now, it is missing an interior, which rather undermines Koskas description of the concept being 95 per cent ready. But it is promising. The C4 originally launched in 2020, and, when asked about product life cycles Koskas explained that he did not see the need to shorten them in the manner that Chinese OEMs are doing currently.
Škoda
The Czech brand showed its compact Elroq SUV, which debutes some of the design touches seen on the Vision 7S, most notably the typographical ‘Skoda’ badge on the hood. It is a stubby, muscular thing with a short rear end and strong massing forming the haunches. Technology is hidden in the black visor form under the headlamps, which is admirably well-executed.
Senior exterior designer Romain Bucaille explained the light signature: “It is a series of segemented elements and stays true to our Czech heritage of crystal.” Aerodynamics plays a role with surfacing on the rear bumper helping airflow. CMF designer Caroline Liehr unpacked the sustainable materials strategy explaining how the IP featured a textile form made from discarded, unrepairable clothes. “The material is shredded and spun out again and then washed without additional chemicals. It makes use of textile waste that Europe produces every year.”
Volkswagen
The German OEM unveiled the Tayron, which is a pretty conservative-looking SUV, which, in terms of design feels like part of the ID family: particularly the front face. More fun was the ID Buzz GTX which is also pretty understated but as the makings of a highly-entertaining sleeper.
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