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Index: 2002
Paris Auto Show (9/15/2002)

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With the opening of the Paris Auto Show just over a week
away, more manufacturers are issuing details of cars that will make their debut
at the most important international show of the second half of the year.

2003 Renault Megane
Naturally,
it’s a major platform for the French manufacturers, and Renault, Peugeot and
Citroen all have new production cars and concepts to unveil. Renault has already
issued details of the new version of its
Mégane family car, but Paris
will see the car’s first major show appearance.

2002 Renault Ellypse concept
Alongside
the Mégane will be a new concept, the
Ellypse, that combines advanced styling with technology
that is not too far from production readiness. The styling isn’t radical for a
Renault, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t radical when put against other
manufacturers’ efforts. The Ellypse follows the Renault trend of ‘one-box’
design that has been a part of the company’s production car program for some
years now. The main feature is the ‘bow-window’ at the rear, which is a major
styling feature of the new Mégane. The concept car has obviously been designed
to get the public used to the styling feature ahead of the Mégane’s entry into
the market. Technically, the Ellypse features a new low-emissions diesel
engine and ‘by-wire’ technology that replaces hydraulic actuation of the brakes,
steering and gearshift. A 42-volt electric system is used, which means that
components such as power steering and air conditioning can be electrically
driven. The 42-volt system will be commonplace on future mass-produced cars, but
it is taking some time to reach production. The concept has been designed
following principles that Renault is following in its current and upcoming
models, with end-of-life recycling a major consideration. Inside, the Ellypse
has all the usual electronic driver aids, but it is notable for two features:
the rear doors have the rear-hinged ‘suicide’ format that is increasingly
popular with designers today, while the slim-line seats retract into the floor
then set into the ‘sleeper’ position.

2003 Peugeot 206 GTi
Peugeot
will be showing six concepts and forty-one production cars, including a new
high-performance version of the little 206 sedan that is currently the car to
beat in World Championship rallying. With 180 hp on tap, the
206 GTi has
a top speed of 143 mph and will accelerate from zero to 60 mph in seven seconds.

2002 Peugeot 307CC concept
The
307CC is a
coupe/convertible version of the 307 sedan that won’t take long to enter
production. Peugeot has had a major sales success with the coupe/convertible
format – which features a retractable metal hardtop that operates on the same
principle as does that of the Mercedes SLK – on its 206 model, and the
move
upwards in the range is a logical step.
The
other concept that closely foreshadows a production car is the Sésame, a boxy little car that is a
pointer to the replacement for the smallest Peugeot sedan, the 106. It features
electrically operated sliding doors – although they may not be electric in a
production version – and compact overall dimensions that would make it ideal for
Paris traffic.

2003 Citroen Pluriel
Citroen
also has a new production model and a concept to unveil. The production car is a
follow-up to a concept shown at the previous Paris show, two years ago. It’s the
Pluriel, a car
that could be the logical successor to the famous 2CV Citroen. Like the 2CV, it
has a canvas roof that opens all the way from the top of the windshield to the
top of the trunk lid, and like the 2CV it’s designed to carry a payload. In the
case of the Pluriel, the loadspace takes the form of folding back seats and a
drop-down trunk-lid that form a mini pickup space at the rear.
Like
the 2CV, the Pluriel has a roofline that arcs back from the windshield, but
unlike the old ‘Deux Chevaux’, the curved roof members can be removed, creating
a pillarless four-seat convertible. Based on the smallest Citroen sedan, the C3,
the Pluriel is unlikely to appeal to the same market as the 2CV, which was
famously designed to enable a farmer to drive across a rough field carrying a
basket of eggs. The Pluriel is more likely to appeal to trendy young clients
eager to benefit from France’s sunshine.

2002 Citroen C-Airdream concept
Citroen’s
concept is a smooth coupe that, like the Ellypse, uses ‘by-wire’ technology to
replace the pedals and gear lever by controls mounted on the steering wheel. A
2+2 with a glazed panoramic roof, the car is a concept that carries on the line
of dream cars of past years, particularly in its name, the
C-Airdream.

2003 Ford Streetka
Ford
will use Paris to unveil two new variants on its Ka minicar. A convertible and a
performance variant, they are called
Streetka and Sportka. The little Streetka drop-top was
first shown as a concept at the Turin auto show two and a half years ago. Then
it was the last concept to come out of Ford’s Ghia styling studio; now, as a
production version, it will be produced by another legendary styling name,
Pininfarina, at its manufacturing plant in Italy. The Ka sedan has always sold
heavily on its cuteness, and the Streetka will probably give rise to a large
helping of desire in Europe’s young drivers. Smooth lines, a 1.6-liter engine
and compact dimensions will put it right in the middle of what appears to be a
growing niche in Europe, that of relatively inexpensive convertibles.

2003 Ford Sportka
The
Sportka uses the same
1.6-liter Duratec engine in the Ka sedan body, and it has received a chassis
makeover that will give the kind of handling young enthusiasts will enjoy. Big
alloy wheels and a deep front air-intake give the car the necessary street
credibility for performance-minded buyers.
A new
production sedan that will make its bow in Paris is Honda’s new Accord
for Europe – which is unlike
the locally built model that sells in the U.S. Powered by 2.0-liter and
2.4-liter engines in a four-door body that’s stiffer than its predecessor, the
styling is of a blandness that won’t upset existing Accord customers. However,
the designers have achieved something special by lowering the car’s drag
co-efficient to 0.26, a very low figure for a family sedan. To put it in
context, Honda’s Insight hybrid, which is very obviously shaped for low drag,
with faired-in wheels and a teardrop body shape, has a Cd figure of 0.25, the
lowest of any production car in the world.
Mazda
will show its new Mazda2 supermini, which will be built in Spain, while
Spain’s own manufacturer, the VW-owned Seat, will premiere its new Cordoba
sedan,
marking another step along the VW-mapped pathway that will make Seat into a
competitor for Alfa Romeo.
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