Paris Motor Show a dazzling affair and respite from doom and gloom

By Hugh Maguire Now I know we are in the midst of a global financial crisis. But quite honestly these days it seems impossible to open a newspaper or turn on a news channel without having to endure endless 'experts ' writing or talking about just what is going to happen to the worlds financial system. Yes there is a global financial crisis and I know we are officially in recession, but believe it or not there is also plenty of positive news out there. For example have any of you heard that oil is now down to just 83 dollars a barrel from the lofty heights of over 140 dollars a barrel? Good news for inflation, petrol prices, good news for airlines, indeed good news for almost all industry which in some way uses oil or it"s many by-products. The media are quick to point out the negative but slow to highlight the positive, it just does not sell as well. Green brigade So add to that the green brigade. Well according to them even if world leaders do get the financial situation resolved, we are all doomed anyway as the pending man made climate change (as yet unproven) will have us swallowed up by the sea, melting ice caps, and toxic air. So the games up? Well in my opinion not really! I headed off to the world famous Paris Motor Show, where I am delighted to report cars look like they are here to stay, motor manufacturers are doing their bit and more for the environment and judging by the crowds, people are still interested in buying cars. Flavour This years Paris Motor Show had numerous new and interesting models on display and in this article I will just try to give you a flavour of what is coming down the road, rather than detail each car. Interestingly almost every single manufacturer had on display an environmentally friendly model that was either already in production or was soon going to be. From hydrogen power, to electric vehicles, hybrids, to zero emission cars. It really was inspiring to see the huge effort this industry, so easily slated by the tree hugging brigade, puts into this area. Cars now are cleaner, safer and better built than ever before. And it all is not just about what comes out of the exhaust, non toxic materials used in production, huge recyclability of parts and environment conscious disposal of oils and old parts are all part of the programme. The Paris Motor Show was a real ray of light, demonstrating just how well the motor industry has responded to the changing needs of our world. There were of course numerous concept cars and dramatic one off"s which will probably never see production. However my attention focused on those models we will see here at home and here is a flavour of what is to come. New models Audi had the lovely new A6, S3 and Audi"s answer to the BMW X3, the Audi Q5. The new A6 is really an evolution of the current model and that is no bad thing, it looks very classy indeed and is of course built as only Audi"s are superbly! The S3 is the hot version of the A3 and the Q5 well it looks just about perfect actually. Far better looking than the rival BMW X3. Alfa Romeo had the new baby Alfa the MiTo on display. Initial impressions were good. It looks very snazzy, has real Alfa flair in the styling and the interior mirrors the distinguished exterior. However I was disappointed by the quality of some of the dashboard plastics, they just felt cheap which is a pity in an otherwise lovely small car. The Citroen stand had the new C3 Picasso MPV, no beauty I must say but extremely family friendly and practical. Over at BMW"s impressive display the highlight was of course the new 7 Series. I had seen many pictures but in the flesh it looked quite different. In many ways it is still very much a BMW but from some angles, particularly the rear quarter view it could almost be a Lexus! Are BMW trying to steal the show on the LS series? Inside the cabin is BMW true and true. Lovely fit and finish and a host of optional electronic gagetry. BMW were also highlighting where hydrogen power may take us in the future of the car and of course much was made of the superb range of highly fuel efficient low emission new diesels. Ford had a huge stand with plenty of James Bond imagery. Remember you first saw the Mondeo in the first Daniel Craig Bond movie Casino Royale. However the real stars of the Ford stand were the new Ka and new Fiesta. The Ka looks good and is a very neat and tidy little package. The new Fiesta already looks like it will be a cracker. The new Fiesta is just great looking, very funky and well equipped. It really makes almost all rival look positively outdated. Showpiece Over at Lancia, remember we will soon see them back producing cars for the right hand drive market again, the new Delta was the showpiece. The new Delta has a strange and unique style that will not appeal to everyone but certainly distinctive and something different from the mass market. Opel"s new Insignia had the crowds milling around it. The Mondeo rival hopes to win back customers with it"s blend of high quality packaged in a very dynamic style. I liked it and prices have just been announced for the Irish market which are competitive. The new Insignia will without doubt do well in Ireland and it moves the game up a notch possibly stealing the crown from Ford"s Mondeo! We shall see. Other interesting models on display were Seat"s new Ibiza, a sharp looker, the new Lexus IS250 Convertible, a stunner but not going to be a big seller in Ireland, and the new Peugeot 308cc which I really liked. Here is an affordable hard top coupe/cabrio with real style. Honda had the new Accord and the eco friendly space age looking Insight. But of greater interest on their stand was the new Jazz. This is a terrific little car and I have no doubt it will do well here at home. Huge stands Finally both Renault and Volkswagen had huge stands. Renault had much to be proud of with the lovely new Megane and absolutely gorgeous new Megane and Laguna coupes. The new Megane seems to have gotten the styling correct this time. It looks very smart, but the coupe is a real headturner as is the new Laguna coupe. I can"t wait to drive these on Irish shores. VW were proudly displaying the new Golf, which frankly looks much like the old one really, the new Passat CC and the new VW Scirrocco. The Scirrocco looks great and offers a blend of style and practicality with a wide range of engines to suit all budgets. Over the course of the next few months I will have reviews of most of these cars having driven them at home or abroad. I am heading off to test the new Megane in Spain this month and will report on that shortly, until then Slan from Paris.