2002 Paris Show Preview

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Paris Preview, Part II

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).

Peugeot will also launch an important concept car at Paris. The H2O has two functions: first it is a compact fire engine (based on the very successful 206) that can be very useful in urban areas and secondly, the H2O demonstrates a new system that Peugeot developed for producing hydrogen on board. On board the vehicle, there is never more than 2.5g of hydrogen, the equivalent of a glass full of petrol. Hydrogen is produced from a solution of sodium borohydride (NaBH4) and a catalyzer. The engine, fuel cell and hydrogen production are located in the front of the H2O, whereas the NaBH4-reservoir is in the rear. This reservoir is not bound to have a specific form, which is the case with the hydrogen tank, which always has to be cylindrical. With this system, PSA seems to have found the solution for storage and transportation of hydrogen under pressure.

 

Toyota Land Cruiser
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.

smart roadster and roadster-coupe
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.

 

GM Hy-Wire
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.

 

Ferrari Enzo
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.

 

Volkswagen Goes Multi
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.

 

VW will probably also show the new Touran, a small MPV based on the Golf. In Europe GM’s division Opel is already very successful with a similar model. The Touran accommodates five and has a flexible system with separate seats. Not much is known yet about engines, but VW has a slew of motors to choose from in the Golf. The engines will be teamed to six-speed stick shifts. In the future,  the new six-speed automatic transmission might also be available for the Touran.