Paris Motor Show preview
• Round-up of all the major players at this year’s show
• Audi, Ford and VW all showing new cars

Auto trader will be bringing you the most important show reveals from the 2012 Paris Motor Show next Thursday. Until then, here’s our preview of the biggest show-stopping models which have been confirmed by Audi, Citroen, ford, Peugeot, Citroen, MINI, McLaren, Volkswagen and Vauxhall.

AUDI

The big news from Audi is the debut of the new A3 Sportback and the S3 hot-hatch. Replacing the best-selling current generation Sportback, the revised model is longer, bigger and lighter than its predecessor, and has considerably more space inside than its three-door brother.

 

Paris will also see the launch of the souped-up S3 model which will feature a 295bhp version of the Volkswagen Group’s 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine. It will sprint to 62mph in 5.1 seconds yet still return 40.9mpg. Audi will also be unveiling the RS5 Cabriolet and a limited edition SQ5 Exclusive concept.

CHEVROLET

Chevrolet will unveil an updated version of its Spark city car as well as the Trax crossover model. Two concepts are also to be introduced, the Code 130R and the Tru 140S.

CITROEN

The Paris Motor Show will see Citroen unveil a raft of new cars and concepts, chief among which will be the world premiere of the DS3 Cabrio and the C3 Picasso. The DS3 Cabrio is the open-top version of the French company’s premium hatchback and will be pitting itself against rivals such as the MINI cabriolet. The revised C3 Picasso is an updated version of the mini-MPV which has proved popular – selling 320,000 units so far. Pure Pearl limited editions of the DS4 and DS5 are also set to be launched at the show as well as the Numero 9 concept car.

DACIA

The Renault-owned Romanian brand will be launching an updated version of its Sandero supermini at this this year’s show. The new Sandero has, this time, been engineered for right-hand drive and is feted to arrive in the UK in January 2013.

FORD

Ford is set to unveil a selection of new models which will be on sale in the UK from 2013. An updated version of the Fiesta will be unveiled, which will feature the newest iteration of Ford’s trapezoidal grille as well as other cosmetic changes. The updated supermini will also get a host of new technologies and driver aids.

The much anticipated 2013 Mondeo will also be revealed at the motor show. Expected to arrive in the UK in November next year, the new car has been restyled and will feature the award winning 1.0-litre three-cylinder EcoBoost engine – the first time such a small engine will be installed in a car the size of the Mondeo. Re-designed from the ground up, Ford’s revised D-segment car will get an all-new interior and the exterior styling has been made to look more imposing. The new car will also get a range of new engines to go alongside the aforementioned 1.0-litre EcoBoost motor.

FIAT

Fiat will be unveiling the 4×4 version of its popular Panda city car. The previous iteration was loved for its rugged utilitarian nature and cute looks. The only 4×4 car in the A-segment, the Panda 4×4 gains rugged-looking door sills, extended wheel-arches and black mouldings with silver-coloured skid plates. A raised ride-height also helps to give the diminutive Panda a more rugged demeanour.

HYUNDAI

The most notable Hyundai to make an appearance at Paris this year will be the three-door version of the Korean manufacturer’s i30. Along with its Kia cousin, the pro_Cee’d, the i30 three-door will be going into battle against rivals such as the VW Golf, Ford Focus and the Vauxhall Astra GTC. The last iteration of the i30 impressed with its more premium design, feel and dynamics and there is no reason why the new model shouldn’t continue this trend.

JAGUAR

The leaping cat’s eagerly-anticipated F-Type sports car will make its debut at the Paris show this year. Leaked photos on an American website earlier this week show that the Porsche-rivalling sports car stays close to the stunning C-X16 concept revealed last year. The car has received almost universal praise for its stunning looks, evoking the much-heralded E-Type sports car of the 1960s and ‘70s. The F-Type will be powered by a choice of either a 3.0-litre supercharged V6 (available in either 335 or 375bhp states of tune) and an updated version of the company’s 5.0-litre supercharged V8. Due to go on sale next year, priced from around £55,000, the F-Type is sure to be the star of this year’s Mondial de l’Automobile.
 

KIA

The most notable offerings from Kia this year will be the pro_Cee’d three-door Focus rival and a replacement for the unloved previous generation Carens MPV. Also on show will be the Optima Hybrid saloon and the Sorento 4×4.

LAND ROVER

The brand-new Range Rover will make its show debut in Paris this year and it’s been on a diet. Now 420kg lighter than its predecessor, the Rangie will be more luxurious, faster and cleaner than the previous generation model. It will also be the first Range Rover to have a hybrid powertrain available. The new car is available to order now (providing you have more than £71,000 to spend) and deliveries will start next January.

LEXUS

The LS 600h F-Sport will be making its European debut at the Paris Motor Show and will also unveil a secret new concept car.

MCLAREN

The boys from Woking will be showing the P1, a car which is widely expected to be the successor to the iconic F1 supercar from the early ‘90s. From the pictures we have seen, it looks stunning and McLaren is aiming to make this car the best and fastest car in the world. Not necessarily in absolute top-speed but in acceleration and cornering. The car is expected to be powered by a 750bhp version of the MP4-12C’s twin turbocharged 3.8-litre V8 which will be supplemented by an Formula 1 style KERS boost system to bring the total power output to between 850 and 900bhp which sounds like plenty to us.
 

MINI

Somehow, MINI has managed to come up with a new niche, the coupe-4×4-city car and has filled it with the Paceman. A slightly bizarre combination of coupe, tall 4×4 and retro-chic hatchback we’re sure that it will sell very well but we can’t, for the life of us, understand how it came about.

MERCEDES-BENZ

The chaps and chapesses from Stuttgart are being extremely secretive about their plans for this year’s show, which means that they are planning either something absolutely massive or nothing at all. We here at Auto Trader suspect the former and have a sneaking suspicion that an AMG version of the new A-Class is about to be revealed.

NISSAN

Nissan are unveiling four new models and two concepts at this year’s show. These include the Juke NISMO production car, a Ministry of Sound Limited Edition Juke, the Qashqai 360 and revised versions of the company’s 370Z coupe and roadsters. The concepts will be a zero-emmissions 4×4 dubbed the TeRRA and the PIVO 3 Zero Emissions concept.

PEUGEOT

At its home motor show, Peugeot will be releasing the 2008 Crossover concept to a European audience for the first time. Although it’s a concept, it has been confirmed that it will become a production reality reasonably shortly.

Also of note from Peugeot will be the 208 GTi, with most people wondering (and hoping) that this will be the car to finally pick up the hot-hatch baton from the legendary 205 GTi, after the 206 and 207 models kept fumbling it.
 

PORSCHE

Porsche’s bruising Cayenne 4×4 is set to be given a twin-turbo V8 Diesel engine which will produce up to 380bhp and a thundering 627 lb/ft of torque which should provide enough shove to hurl the Cayenne to 62mph in 5.7 seconds. The big Porsche will also be able to return 34mpg and emit just 218g/km of CO2. The Cayenne S Diesel will be on sale in the UK in January 2013 and will cost from £58,243.

RENAULT

The biggest news coming from Renault is the unveiling of the new hot Clio. The RenaultSport Clio is expected to be powered by a turbocharged 1.6-litre four cylinder engine, bucking the RenaultSport Clio tradition of having a high-revving, naturally aspirated engine. The new car should produce the same power as the previous model, 197bhp, and will be mated to either a six-speed manual or, in a new development, a dual-clutch sequential gearbox.

TOYOTA

Toyota will bring the new Auris, Auris Verso and Auris estate to Paris, along with the new Yaris Hybrid. The hybrid Yaris is the most exciting of the bunch, being stylish and economical in equal measure. The Paris show will also see the launch of a new range of performance upgrades from its performance arm, TRD, for the GT86 sports car.

VAUXHALL

The news from Luton is that Vauxhall will be launching its new ADAM premium supermini. Named after the founder of Opel cars (Adam Opel) the new small Vauxhall will be aiming for the MINI hatch and Fiat 500 when it goes on sale at the beginning of next year.

VOLKSWAGEN

Last, but very much not least, we come to the seventh generation Volkswagen Golf. Wolfsburg’s iconic hatchback will make its public debut at Paris this year. Never the most outstanding car in any area but the best all-rounder, the Golf has always had an air of quality about it that its rivals from Ford and Vauxhall have never quite been able to replicate. We expect that this seventh iteration will add a considerable number to the 29 million Golfs already sold, when it goes on sale in October.