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Far from the madding crowds of Frankfurt, Detroit, and Tokyo, Paris is the auto-show equivalent of a breather. It’s rife with new product introductions, but against the romantic backdrop of Paris in the fall, even the high-revving Ferraris and exotics seem a bit more laid back.
Paris is one of the most significant auto shows of the year, and beginning Sept. 26, TCC will be covering the Paris show with daily updates of concept and production-car launches. Here’s a short preview of what we expect will be announced at Paris — check back for updates and join us on the 26th from the halls of the 2002 auto show:
Peugeot Pulls Out Stops
The French brands use their home auto show for a lot of news. Both will
test public acceptance of a small car with a sliding door by means of the Peugeot Sésame concept car. It is the
predecessor of the Peugeot 107 and its cousin the Citroën C2. Both are expected
by the end of the year. In the C-Airdream concept
car, Citroën shows their view on drive-by-wire-technology, which GM will also
showcase (see below).

2002 Peugeot H2O concept
2002 Toyota Land Cruiser (Euro version)
Toyota is
presenting its new Land Cruiser and
the slightly face lifted MR2 and
Celica. The Land Cruiser will
get the existing 163 hp 3.0-liter D-4D turbodiesel and a new 4.0-liter V-6
engine, that produces 249 hp at 5200 rpm and has a maximum torque of 282 lb-ft
at 3200 rpm. The V-6 should propel the Land Cruiser from 0-60 mph within 10
seconds. It has full-time 4WD with a transfer case (for the selection of high
and low gearing) and a new Torsen differential with limited slip. The Land
Cruiser is the first car equipped with Hill-start Assist Control (HAC), a system
that senses when the car starts to slide backwards on hills and that brakes the
wheels. Thus the sliding will be less and there will be enough torque available
to start without problems.
2003 Smart Roadster
DaimlerChrysler now
thinks there is a market in the U.S. for micro-compact cars such as the A-Class;
there is also a chance that the smart will even reach our shores. The company
will launch two new versions of the smart in Paris: the sporty-looking roadster
and roadster-coupe. Smart wants to grow from a one-model brand to a division
with a model line. The roadster has a soft top and a hard top, consisting of two
plastic roof panels that can be taken off. The roadster-coupe has a glass rear
window. Both versions will be equipped with a three-cylinder turbo engine with
82 hp.
2002 GM Hy-Wire Concept
General Motors will present the evolution
of the Autonomy that debuted in Detroit. The name Hy-Wire stands for hydrogen
and drive-by-wire. The Hy-Wire uses the same fuel cell as the Autonomy, but has
a more realistic body. The ‘platform’ is 50 percent thicker (11 inches) than
that of the Autonomy and houses three cylindrical tanks for the storage of
hydrogen. GM says that it will be easy to change bodies. This four-door version
seats five passengers and their luggage. As there is no engine compartment
anymore, the Hy-wire shows its interior from front to rear through its glass
panels on both sides.
2003 Enzo Ferrari
Paris will be the stage for Ferrari to
unveil the Enzo, the vehicle that existed previously under the name FX. The Enzo
will be built in a limited production of 350 cars, will feature F1 handling and
performance. Its 6.0-liter V-12 will deliver more than 650 hp and will enable
the car to reach a top speed of over 217 mph.
2003 Volkswagen Touareg
Volkswagen will show the
Touareg, an SUV that will be built
on the same platform as the Porsche
Cayenne, which will also be unveiled
in Paris. Both SUVs will have AWD. The Cayenne will be equipped with a 4.5-liter
V-8 with 340 hp, whereas the Touareg will get a 3.2-liter V-6 and a 5.0-liter
V-10 TDI turbodiesel engine. Later the Touareg will get a 4.2-liter V-8 and a
new five-cylinder TDI.

2003 Volkswagen Touran
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