2018 Paris motor show preview
Renault's Trezor concept was one of the stars of last year's Paris showThe second-biggest motor show of the year is almost upon us, so take an early look at what’s due to make an appearance
The Paris motor show arrives on 2 October and will be the second-biggest motor show of the year, after the Goliath that was Geneva in March.
The last Paris show brought us crucial cars such as the Land Rover Discovery, Volkswagen ID concept and Nissan Micra, with numerous more due soon as production cars, including the Lexus UX.
Here’s what’s coming this year, as more manufacturers confirm models for the ‘other’ motor show of 2018.
2018 Paris motor show: the cars
The reveal process for the new A1 has already begun, with fragments of the car being revealed on Audi’s social media channels officially. A hefty leak has given the game away early, though. It’ll be officially revealed ahead of Paris, but the show will be our best close-up look at the new Mini rival before our testers get their hands on one.
Audi is updating its 3 Series rival with a sharper look and more standard kit. The car is due to go on sale during the summer, so we can expect it to make its show debut in Paris.
BMW’s lost some ground to Mercedes-Benz since the C-Class became the country’s — and Europe’s — top-selling compact executive car. The brand will look to the G20 to make up some of the lost pace, despite other car classes being savaged by SUV sales.
Speaking of which, while BMW’s rival to the Jaguar F-Pace has already been shown, it will make its first public outing at the Paris show. It’s got a fresh new look, architecture shared with the 5 and 7 Series and it is larger in every direction than its predecessor.
It’s been a long time coming, but the new Z4 will arrive in Paris as the overhauled rival to the Porsche Boxster and Mercedes-Benz SLC. BMW promises a renewed focus on dynamic ability for the new car, as well as a completely different look from its predecessor.
The DS assault on the plush SUV market continues with the 3 Crossback — a rival to the BMW X1 and Jaguar E-Pace. The zany styling of the DS X E-Tense concept could provide a little guidance on where DS is going with the 3 Crossback, which is expected to eventually replace the ageing 3 hatch.
Kia’s shooting brake version of the Ceed, the Proceed, replaces the previous slow-selling three-door hatch version and deletes the apostrophe from its name for good measure. We’ve only seen it in concept form, but hopefully styling won’t stray too far from that.
The warm version of Mercedes’ new hatch arrives in early 2019 as a 300bhp understudy to the 400bhp full-fat A45. It’ll rival the Audi S3 and Volkswagen Golf R, while the A45 will be more of a match for the RS3 and BMW M2.
Mercedes is also taking the A-Class to the fight against the Audi A3 saloon by making a long-booted version. The A-Class saloon’s styling has already been revealed on the Chinese-spec long-wheelbase car, but a slightly different look will be applied to the European car.
Peugeot's saloon has been given a new fastback shape, but what about the estate? Well, that's been given a sharp new look too, and we'll get our first in-depth look in Paris.
Porsche's smallest SUV has been with us since 2014, so it's time for a mid-life refresh. We've already had a drive in a prototype, so take a look at our first impressions here before first examples hit the road at the end of the year.
Nothing is yet confirmed, but Renault is almost certain to take a concept to its home motor show. Last time around, the brand unveiled the dramatic Trezor concept — an autonomous supercar that previewed the new styling direction of the brand.
Skoda’s first hot SUV, and what will be the second model in its vRS line-up since the Fabia vRS was canned, is already the fastest seven-seat SUV around the Nürburgring. It’ll be fully revealed in Paris before sales start at the end of the year.
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