Due to time availability matters, I need to restrict myself to write only about the most important foreign car releases, in order to conciliate with this blog’s initial purpose, which was to write only about Brazilian cars. However, reading about an exposition as big as this French one drives every car fan crazy very easily, so I’ll make my best to maintain this special article. The cars will be organized alphabetically so you can find them easily. In every opportunity I’ll update it with much more concise texts of each release, but you’ll can click at their picture to access a big photo gallery. I hope you enjoy!
Audi SQ5 Concept: How about the first Audi S model not only to use diesel but also to be a crossover? Only 50 units will be produced, all of them in the exclusive Aral Blue. There’s also metal-painted details and luxury items such as xenon headlights to follow the impressive look started with those gorgeous wheels and finished by the typical four exhaust pipes. The interior will take the attentions with a contrast between black and white among several parts, such as seats and steering wheel. Opening the hood we see a V6 3.0 with two turbos and 313 hp, to get from 0 to 60 mph in 5s1.
Citroën C3 Picasso: The European compact minivan received its first half-age face-lift, showing an improvement of the
design created by the Brazilian department to its own market. It now features daytime LEDs, a conventional front air intake and restyled trunk lid, besides minor changes. There is a big panoramic sunroof, and some versions now can receive the eMyWay navigation system, which also brings USB port and Bluetooth connection. The interior received some new sophistication items, but this car’s main focus is really the casual look: there are two new color options, blue and white.
Citroën DS3 Cabrio: Cars like this one could explain why “charm” starts with C from “Citroën”. As if it wasn’t enough to entice from the customers who like the luxury of hatches such as Fiat 500 and Mini Cooper to the ones who like to drive faster, Citroën releases the open-roof version of the DS line pioneer. There were changes only at the roof, now retractile in several points, looking like a spoiler, and finally dropping also with the rear windshield and reminding the old VW Beetle’s cover, but never touching the sides. It’ll use two 1.6 engines: 108 hp with diesel and 148 hp with gasoline.
Dacia Sandero Stepway: It’s really nice to see what the Romanian brand did with their
famous line. After revealing both Logan and Sandero, they didn’t take long to offer the reprojected light off-road version, which originally is a Brazilian creation, along with the entire first Sandero, and since 2007 had huge success. Thus, as what was done with Logan, the hatchback evolved the original style, rather to change it. There are some plastic protective details outside, roof rack and 16” wheels. The high-selling formula consists only in that, so the engine options won’t change from the urban car.
Fiat Panda 4x4: Innovative at the ‘80s, this version was so well-accepted that became a tradition to Panda. The latest generation now receives s traction with a visual package which resembles very much the Brazilian
Fiat Uno Way. There are exclusive bumpers and wheels and some plastic details to protect the painting, which by the way received two new options. Inside, there are three options of colors, ecologic leather details and ELD differential lock to help at the off-road tracks, item also offered in Brazil. It’ll be sy-equiped and use the TwinAir 0.9 with gasoline or Multijet II 1.3 with diesel.
Ford Fiesta: This one has already appeared a few days before. The current generation now receives the half-age face-lift, whose design has received some changes to follow Ford’s latest design rules. Besides the resemblance with C-Max and Fiesta ST at the front end, the car received new technologies. The Active City Stop system helps to avoid collisions by reducing the speed, while MyKey brings parental control to restrict the car’s top speed and the maximum sound volume. It also comes with Ford Sync and EcoBoost engines, with the 1.0 option expected to bring excellent consumption rates.
Ford Transit: Also called Tourneo, Ford’s small commercial van receives a new generation with such a nice interpretation of the Kinetic design that it barely reminds a cargo vehicle. It now uses a worldwide platform to enable its selling at many more markets, but at a first moment it’ll go only to Europe and North America. There are lots of technologies to improve the efficiency specially at the new Connect version, but the best examples of that are the engines: respectively, Transit will use a 2.2 Duratorq with diesel and a 3.5 EcoBoost with gasoline, offering front, rear or AWD traction options.
Honda CR-Z: As it was announced a few days ago, this hybrid sports car receives its first face-lift although it completes only three years. But they weren’t big, restricted only to the front design and minor changes at the interior, according to Honda. They preserved the large color options’ list and also the engine: if you want an ecological car but avoiding the family style, CR-Z solves your problem with the 1.5 i-VTEC and the electric engine, but with some improvements to gain 13 hp and now produce 135 hp. This power allows it to go from 0 to 60 mph in 9s and to the top speed of 123,6 mph, with 4,16 l/100 km.
Hyundai i30 2-door: The second generation came so appealing and stylish that nobody remembered 4-door cars are usually are designed for families. But Hyundai did, and now shows what you can think as a half-way between the already known new i30 and Veloster. There wasn’t need to deep changes to obtain the new body option, so they also brought an exclusive front air intake and fog lights design. One of its four engine options is an 1.6 diesel with 97 g/km of CO2 emissions, and the really nice Flex Steer system, which allows the driver to change the steering resistance to better suit any driving condition.
Kia Carens 4: Ten years ago, who could say Kia would become a true high-level automaker? From that excessively neutral design from the 1990s and 2000s, they developed their own style rules and achieved huge success with each car that received Peter Schreyer’s magical touch. Now is the time to apply it to their mid-size minivan, which attracts by a more dynamical look, using organic lines to avoid the old-fashioned impression of its previous generations this will start a really nice fight with Ford B-Max. The biggest info released so far is that Carens’ platform is shared with the new Cerato.
Lancia Flavia: Badge engineering matters aside, it’s impossible to deny this car is classy. The luxury Italian brand’s latest product spends 16,1 by 5,9 feet in an elegant cabriolet design which features the best of both Chrysler and Lancia design departments, without resorting to exaggerated sporty items or bright colors in order to achieve a much more mature impression. It’s redundant to say that it has lots of comfort and security equipments, but it’s worth to see the combination of black and white used at the interior, whose seats were designed to four occupants. This car uses a 2.4 with 170 hp.
Mini Cooper JCW GP: If you’re tired of so many special Coopers, this one has a different appeal. Is “the fastest Cooper ever” enough to attract you? If not, how about saying it defeated Nürburgring Nordschleife it in only 8m23s? Besides of the 17” alloy wheels, painting and stickers, this car received a whole new aerodynamic kit and lost even the rear seats. And you think that’s it? Well, start to smile, because you’re wrong: the omnipresent 1.6 turbo was improved again and now takes the car from 0 to 60 mph in 6s3 and to the top speed of 150,4 mph. There will be produced 2.000 units.
Renault Clio Estate: After the first reveal made by “accident” in a video around the hatch’s release, now the station wagon officially debuts its gorgeous design. It’s amazing how Renault extended the hatch’s style at the same time that gave it own personality. Clio Estate is still very sporty but became more elegant, with smooth surfaces and black-painted columns to visually join the windows and make the whole car seem longer. The engine options will be shared with the urban Clio, but the extra 7,9 inches increase helped at the 430 L trunk, which can increase by folding the rear seats.
Renault Clio RS 200 Turbo: The fourth generation has received one of Clio’s most iconic versions. The name anticipates the 200 hp and 239,3 Nm generated by an 1.6 with direct injection and double-clutch automatic transmission, whose technologies also bring a 25% lower fuel consumption, according to Renault. This car has three driving modes, but the coolest feature is the R-Sound Effect: it digitalizes the engine sound to transfer to the cabin through the speakers. Clio RS offers Sport and Cup versions, this one with more rigid suspension and Brembo brakes for better track performance.
Toyota Auris Touring: After first revealing the hatchback version, the Auris line is now completed. The design is more familiar, but still is much more modern than what’s usually expected for these cars, specially by the use of items such as the rear spoiler. The European wagon has increased 11 inch at the wheelbase in order to achieve bigger internal space, but a really nice item is the panoramic sunroof, who takes advantage of the very inclinated windshield to compose a huge glass area. The trunk size wasn’t revealed yet, but one really nice feature is that Auris will have a hybrid option.
Volkswagen Cross Caddy: After extending the wheelbase, using two kinds of fuel and celebrating its own 30th birthday, the German small van joined the Cross series, which has Golf and Polo’s versions in Europe and Fox, Saveiro and SpaceFox’s in Brazil. Caddy follows them with exterior plastic details such as fenders and footboards, and protective bars at the bumpers. But some items remember this isn’t a car to travel through rough tracks with: chrome roof rack and 17” alloy wheels and LED daylights go much better with the city. The engine options will be shared with the urban Caddy.
Volvo V40 Cross Country: This car has always been subversive: it’s only the second Volvo’s modern hatchback and also using a V-name, until now restricted to the station wagons. But now it appeals to genetics and receives Cross Country version, which became famous with V70. Thus, as the pioneer sister, V40 combines a light off-road style with urban fashion items, resulting at exclusive bumper design, roof rack and 1,57 inch taller suspension sharing the same car with chrome protective items and 19” wheels. Besides that, it uses the 213 hp 2.0 or the 2.5 T5 with 254 hp, which allows a 0 to 60 mph at 6s1.
Are you missing some of the cars exposed at the event? Some of them have already received their own articles, with detailed information and more pictures, and they all can be found clicking here or searched by name at the top left field of this blog. If you’d like to see a bigger text like those for any of the cars listed here, just leave a comment here asking so, and it’ll be published it as soon as possible.
Google's latest announcement about retiring products came out yesterday (Saturday). Seems odd that they're calling it "spring cleaning", since it's autumn / fall in most of the countries where major Google products are based.
