Click here to see more photos.
Kia bared its Soul at the 2008 Paris Motor Show, and that's the last time we're going to make a pun on this car's model name, we swear. The Soul could be seen as a Scion xB rip-off, but we really like the look of this new little car. It has the same functionality as the xB, but with a fresh new look. Interior options are interesting, as well, including a mood lighting system for the stereo. iPod integration is standard.
Click here for photos of the new Kia Soul at the 2008 Paris Motor Show.
Click here to see more photos.
Our favorite part of any car show are the concept cars, design studies shown off by automakers to test audience reaction. At the 2008 Paris Motor Show, we've saw a variety of concept cars demonstrating everything from small, eco-friendly city cars to high-performance exotics. Some of these cars are merely a gleam in their designers' eyes, while others are already being slated for production. Take a look at the automotive future.
Click here for photos of concept cars from the 2008 Paris Motor Show.
Mazda's Kiyora concept uses the Nagare styling theme.
(Credit: CBS Interactive)The Kiyora concept, shown at the 2008 Paris Motor Show, is another in Mazda's lineup of concept cars featuring Nagare styling. Mazda designers have built a new Nagare concept car for almost every major auto show. Nagare means flow in Japanese, and the cars built under this concept show styling cues that represent the way wind and water flow over earth and rock.
The design is intended to evoke water.
(Credit: CBS Interactive)Although previous cars in this design theme have been low and sporty, the Kiyora captures the strong trend at the Paris show for small city cars. As such, it is designed as a compact four seater with minimal cargo space.
Mazda specifies a 1.3-liter engine for the Kiyora, using similar variable valve timing tech and direct injection as the 2.3-liter engine found in the CX-7. Along with low displacement, the powertrain enhances its economy with an idle-stop system, a feature commonly found in hybrid cars. Although Mazda hasn't specified actual fuel economy numbers, it does tout CO2 emissions of just 90 grams per kilometer, a particularly good rating compared with current cars.
As the theme for the Kiyora, the notion of water gets carried throughout the interior and exterior styling, and even to one innovative feature. Large translucent panels in the doors evoke the clearness of water, while the front of the car looks like a bow wave. The driver interface uses a large, curved touch screen which, when the car is stopped, shows fixed icons. Turn the car on, and these control icons flow down to positions previously set by the driver.
Organic shapes define the interior.
(Credit: CBS Interactive)As a typically exotic feature for a concept car, but still within the water theme, the roof is designed to channel rain water to a carbon filter. The filtered water is caught in a bottle between the front seats so that passengers always have fresh water on hand. This is truly the car for a water-starved future.
GM gives the Chevy Volt its first auto show exposure at the 2008 Paris Motor Show. With a game-changing power train, the Volt is as relevant in Europe as it is in the U.S. The Volt uses a series hybrid system, using an electric motor to drive the wheels with a gas engine to generate more electricity once the car's lithium ion battery pack is depleted.
Under electric power alone, the car has a 40-mile range and can be recharged at any AC outlet. For many people, that range will cover their daily commute, which will result in no actual gas usage during a typical work day.
Click here for photos of the 2011 Chevy Volt at the 2008 Paris Motor Show.
Audi had us drooling over the S-line cars at the 2008 Paris Motor Show, but of the three we cover here, only one will be available in the U.S. Audi showed off the new S4, based on the redesigned A4 launched last year, which has some very interesting changes over the previous S4 model. We also got a look at the S3 and RS6, the latter billed as the most powerful production sedan in the world.
Click here for photos of the Audi S3, S4, and RS6 at the 2008 Paris Motor Show.
Pininfarina showed off the B0 in its booth at the Paris Motor Show.
(Credit: CBS Interactive)If you want to build a new car, even a small, economical car, get Pininfarina to design it. That lesson is made clear with the launch of the B0 at the 2008 Paris Motor Show, the best-looking small car we've seen here. The B0 has smart lines and a graceful arch between its front and rear wheels, yet maintains the dimensions and configuration to be a practical car. This car is actually a collaboration between Pininfarina and Bolloré, the latter being a consortium of companies with expertise in batteries and capacitors, and is intended to go into mass production late in 2009.
The B0 uses solar cells to help recharge the batteries.
(Credit: CBS Interactive)The B0 uses a lithium metal polymer battery pack occupying the undercarriage of the car, with an electric motor driving the front wheels. A super capacitor provides short-term storage for electricity recovered from regenerative braking. Solar cells set into the roof and front of the car trickle energy to the battery.
As configured, the car has a range of 150 miles and an electronically limited top speed of 80 mph. It's not exactly fast, with a 0 to 37 mph time of 6.3 seconds. Bolloré hasn't released 0 to 60 mph times, but assume they will be close to 15 seconds.
As shown, the interior of the car uses two LCDs for its instrumentation, both center-mounted, with a main display on the instrument panel showing climate control, navigation, and entertainment. A smaller display sits on top of the dashboard, showing speed, charge level, range, and other trip information.
Click image to see more photos.
Ferrari showed off its all-new Pininfarina-designed California model at the 2008 Paris Motor Show. This car is a GT model with a front-mounted eight-cylinder engine. Its most notable feature is a retractable hard top, although it features plenty of innovations for Ferrari. Its V-8 uses direct fuel injection and is mated to a new seven speed double-clutch transmission. Cabin tech features Bluetooth cell phone integration, an iPod connector, and hard drive-based navigation.
Click here for photos of the Ferrari California at the 2008 Paris Motor Show.
Although we've seen a trend toward small cars at the Paris Motor Show from traditional economy car companies, entrants from BMW and Audi signify that the trend is important enough to interest these premium car companies. BMW showed off the X1 small SUV concept, while Audi came to the show with its A1 city car concept. Mini also enters a new small car at the show, but its concept is actually bigger that its current model line-up, showing Mini has nowhere to go but up.
Click here for photos of concepts by Audi, BMW, and Mini at the 2008 Paris Motor Show.
What happens when you let Scandinavians design a convertible? Well, for one, you end up with the very successful Saab 900 convertible, which launched in 1985. Saab has taken another shot at it with the 9-X Air, a concept vehicle unveiled at the 2008 Paris Motor Show that uses a unique convertible soft top, plus quite a few other good concept car touches.
Click here for photos of the Saab 9-X Air concept at the 2008 Paris Motor Show.
The Honda Insight uses a 1.3-liter engine and its IMA hybrid system.
(Credit: CBS Interactive)Although it may be a five-door hatchback, like Toyota's Prius, the Honda Insight concept, unveiled at the 2008 Paris Motor Show, probably won't significantly displace the Prius. This concept, set to unveil as a production vehicle at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show and go on sale in the first half of 2009, uses Honda's Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) hybrid system and, as such, is considered a mild hybrid, because it doesn't drive the car under electric power only. IMA integrates a small electric motor with the transmission, which provides extra boost when the car is accelerating, and includes an idle-stop program.
The Honda Insight is a five-door hatchback, much like the Toyota Prius.
(Credit: CBS Interactive)The Insight should get fuel economy similar to the current Honda Civic Hybrid, according to Honda CEO Takeo Fukui, who emphasized that the new Insight will be one of the most affordable hybrids on the market. The Honda Civic Hybrid gets an EPA-rated 40 mpg city and 45 mpg highway, although in road-trip testing we achieved 46.6 mpg. The primary drive unit of the Insight is a four-cylinder 1.3-liter engine. The IMA system has been refined by Honda from earlier versions--its batteries and control unit are placed under the cargo area in the Insight.
The instrumentation is similar to that of the Honda Civic.
(Credit: Honda)The Insight takes its name from Honda's first hybrid, a two-seat three-door hatchback produced from 1999 to 2006. The new Insight has interior instrumentation similar to that found in the Honda Civic, with a dual-layer instrument cluster that puts a digital speedometer on top, with an analog tachometer below. An LCD for navigation sits in the middle of the dashboard. The interior shows some nice back-lighting on the switchgear, although we don't know if this touch will find its way into the production vehicle.
