2012 Mondial de l'Automobile in Paris Report Two: Ford - Mazda

2012 Paris Auto Show Report – Part Two; Ford to Mazda

By Henny Hemmes
Senior European Editor
The Auto Channel

AMSTERDAM, September 24, 2012; The Auto Channel is on its way to Paris, but before the doors of the 2012 Mondial de l’Automobile opens its doors on Thursday, we bring you the news that can be expected there.

Ford – 2012 Paris Motor Show

Ford already presented its strategy for Europe, based on growth potential in the car and SUV segments as well as commercial vehicles. Before the end of the year the EcoSport will make its entrance. The SUV is based on the B-platform that is also used for the Fiesta and developed in South-America. It is equipped with Sync connectivity and gets Hill Launch Assist.

The brand new Mondeo will undoubtedly be the highlight at the Ford stand . The new generation will be available as a four- and five-door model.

Lots of customers will be happy to know that the Mondeo Wagon makes its debut at the same time. The popularity of station wagons remains very high in Europe, where almost all models in the segment have a wagon variant. Available will be the new1.0-liter EcoBoost engine, a diesel combined with AWD and, exclusively for the four-door model, a hybrid, which will be the first in its segment.

The looks of the new Mondeo have been inspired by the latest Kinetic 2 design that we first saw with the Evos, the concept car that stunned many people at the Frankfurt auto show last year.

The Fiesta – the best sold compact car in Europe – gets a facelift with a new front, a more comfortable interior and new technology such as EcoBoost engines, Ford Sync and MyKey.

The Tourneo Connect is the people mover variant of the commercial van and will be sold in North America as Transit Connect Wagon. It will be available as five- or seven seater with a complete new interior with flexible seat arrangement and with the lowest fuel consumption in the segment.

Honda – 2012 Paris Motor Show

Honda comes to Paris with the new CR-V ( see our first drive) and the EV-STER, which is a concept for the next generation electric sports car.

The CR-Z will be present with revised in- and exterior design and more horsepower. The 1.5-liter i-VTEC engine and electric motor now deliver a combined 122 hp. Honda says that the extra power does not have a negative influence on fuel economy and CO2 emission.

In Paris, Honda celebrates the 40th anniversary of the Civic, that gets the new 1.6-liter i-DTEC diesel engine. This power plant is the first engine built in Europe with Honda’s ‘Earth Dreams Technology’. With 120 hp it averages 78.5 mpg with 94 g/km CO2.

It is no surprise the Honda Civic finished first in the economy class of the 2012 Women’s World Car of the Year. Project. On Friday, the second media day of the Paris show, Suehiro Hasshi, LPL Civic life cycle, in other words the Project manager for the new Civic, will receive the award, together with Kate Saxton, Manager corporate affairs of Honda UK.

Hyundai – 2012 Paris Motor Show

The new i30 three-door version is the third model of the i3 after the five-door and the Tourer.

All Hyundai’s now have the aggressive looking Fluidic Sculpture design. It has been designed and developed in Europe and will arrive in dealerships in the beginning of 2013. The new model gets the same four engines as the 5-door combined with either a 6-speed stick shift or an automatic transmission. Buyers can expect a generous standard equipment.

Infiniti – 2012 Paris Motor Show

It is not easy for Infiniti to get settled in Europe. The Netherlands has an open market, but the first distributor called it quit after a year. Now a prominent Nissan dealer is taking care of the premium brand. Infiniti will be in Paris with the LE Concept, a study for high performance travel in luxury with zero emissions, that makes its European debut. The four-door model is around 185 inches long, similar to the Infiniti G Saloon. It has an electric motor with 100 kW (134 hp) and the 240 lb-ft of torque is instantly available. The range is expected to be some 100 miles and an 80 percent charge takes 30 minutes in the quick charger.

Jaguar – 2012 Paris Motor Show

The world could see the first image of the new F-Type on a facebook page, after which Jaguar released an official picture. The F-Type shares a lot of its design with the C-X16 concept that was unveiled last year at the IAA in Frankfurt. This was equipped with a 380 hp strong 3.0-liter V6 engine with a Kers system such as we know from Formula 1. It is not know yet if this hybrid power train will also be available in the new two seater. Probably the convertible will enter the markets before the coupe. But confirmed are the 335 and 375 hp supercharged 3.0-liter V6 engines, while also Jaguar’s V8 will be available.

Jeep – 2012 Paris Motor Show

Jeep is planning to show the Compass Overland, a 4WD vehicle equipped with a 2.2 liter turbo-diesel with 161 hp and 236 lb-ft of torque. A special edition to be presented is the Wrangler Moab, that has the same power plant under its hood as the Compass Overland. Also expected in Paris is a limited edition of the Grand Cherokee SRT8. It has a 468 hp strong 6.4-liter Hemi V8, that works together with a five-speed automatic transmission. The Jeep accelerates from 0-62 mph in 5 seconds and reaches a top speed of 160 mph.

Kia – 2012 Paris Motor Show

The new Carens benefits from the new design that Kia and its sister brand Hyundai now apply for all new models of the fleet. The new MPV looks more dynamic with a new grille and long swept-back headlights that show the family resemblance with the Cee’d. Based on the new Cee’d platform but 100 mm longer wheel base and a bit wider. Third row of seats in the back Replaces Carens and larger Sedona. In the US, this models is the Kia Rondo. New is also the 3-door Procee’d, the sister of Hyundai i30 and also the third model of the second generation cee’d family.

Lamborghini – 2012 Paris Motor Show

The Gallardo LP550-2 GZ8 Edizione Limitata is to be found at the Lamborghini stand. We will have to wait for more details until Thursday, when the show opens for the media.

Land Rover – 2012 Paris Motor Show

The new Range Rover is the modern interpretation of the iconic SUV. The new generation has an aluminium structure and is 925 lbs lighter than the outgoing model, with lower fuel consumption and less CO2 emission as a result. Land Rover claims state of the art Adaptive Dynamics and improved all-terrain capabilities with the new Terrain Response 2 Auto, a technology that analyses the actual driving circumstances and automatically select the most suitable set up of the different systems.

Lexus – 2012 Paris Motor Show

The first official pictures of the Lexus LF-CC concept* give away the design of the next generation IS model. The IS saloon is expected to make its world premiere at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January. The Coupe will probably make its debut in Geneva in March.

The LF-CC has a new hybrid system with the 2.5-liter engine and an electro motor for a combined output of 200 hp and a CO2 emission of less than 100 g/km. The IS will also get this power train.

McLaren – 2012 Paris Motor Show

More than a decade ago, the McLaren F1 that was the super sports car. Now the successor is ready: the P1 is about to celebrate is world premiere. The P1 is only a production preview, which means that the production version, due to arrive late 2013, will not necessarily be identical. The new car will seat two instead of 2+1, while it will be equipped with the 3.8-liter V8 that is also used in the McLaren MP4-12C. This power plant is assisted with the Kers system that we know from Formula 1. The P1 pas more than 900 hp and accelerates to 62 mph in less than 3 seconds. If this is achieved with an ultra light carbon fibre monocoque is not confirmed yet.

Mazda – 2012 Paris Motor Show

Mazda will show the new Mazda6, that celebrated its world premiere in Moscow this summer. There is a sedan and a stationwagon variant. For the new generation Mazda6 there will be a whole range of the Skyactive engines available. Mazda hopes to continue the success of the XC-5 with the new ‘6 ‘.