Posts Tagged "porte de versaille"

Owen Ready

Just arrived at the Porte de Versaille and looking down the list of confined debutants for this year’s Paris motor show — le Mondial d’Automobile — it’s hard not to feel a little underwhelmed.

Of course the current dire state of the French car industry has a lot to answer for although surely now is the time to show how Gallic design can drag le Grand Trois from the doldrums? New Renault Clio and interesting but irrelevant Peugeot Onyx concept aside it’s a rather sorry-looking prospect.

The Brits are promising a stronger showing but, again, if we’re talking relevance a Range Rover, a Jaguar sports car and a gazillion-Euro McLaren are hardly going to trouble the Top 10 sellers lists.

Predictably it’s the Germans who will offer the true marker in the shape of the seventh-generation Golf, but not before the Japanese continue their resurgence, with the Lexus LF-CC’s arachnid projector lamps aimed at the upcoming BMW 4-Series.

Unless there’s a big surprise we’ll just have to keep waiting for that Citroën DS-style revolution. And by DS I’m referring to the 1955 vintage, not last season’s hatchback with an oversized sunroof masquerading as the new.

Stay here to see how we fare in our hunt for innovation.

By Owen Ready