ParisAutoShow2014
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Picture this: the best of the Paris Auto Show
The Paris Auto Show is the biggest in the world and the event for car makers' most madcap models and concepts. We saw Lamborghini's 910HP Asterion hybrid, the first supercar that can get groceries on battery power. Another crazy hybrid was Citroen's Cactus Airflow 2L, which stores braking energy as compressed air to get 115mpg. Finally, we took a look at two different connected car takes, with Honda going all-in on Android and Nokia showing off new Here Auto tech. But what about the rest of the show? Some of the wildest crossover designs we ever saw (like the Peugeot Quartz, above) were flaunted, along with plenty of interesting EV and hybrid tech -- and, of course, supercars. If you haven't already skipped over there, hit the gallery below for more.
Lamborghini's 910HP plug-in hybrid goes 30 miles on a charge (hands-on)
Lamborghini knows what you want -- ridiculous, excessive power. But hey, if you need to pick up some groceries, the Italian automaker can do that too. We just got a look at the concept car that proves it, the Lamborghini Asterion, at the Paris Auto Show. It can run in three modes: the first two use either the rear-drive 610HP V10 gas engine or "eco-friendly" 300HP front-drive electric motor system. And if you really need those groceries now, both can join forces to bring an unholy 910 combined horsepower. For those times when you'll settle for 300HP on the battery alone, you can even drive it up to 30 miles if you charge it up using the plug-in mode.
Citroen's hybrid concept car gets 115 mpg from thin air (hands-on)
With the Cactus Airflow 2L, Citroen thinks it's found a way to bring the cost of hybrid technology down to earth using nothing but air. Based on a production Cactus model, the natty, low-roofed concept car has a unique hybrid compressed air/gas engine at its core. In a regular hybrid, batteries store energy from braking and coasting downhill. It's the same idea here, but instead of storing electricity, the Airflow 2L compresses air and stocks it in a tank. It can then be released when needed, powering the car during wasteful acceleration or city driving. While that may sound wonky, the system has been tested to an rather astonishing 115 mpg or so. Still, why bother with an untested system when existing hybrid drivetrains are so mature?
Nokia's Here Auto tries to predict your driving needs (hands-on)
Okay, let's get this out of the way: it's not Nokia Here anymore, just plain old "Here." Nokia's VP of Connected Driving, Floris van de Klashorst, told me that Here no longer uses the Nokia name and is fully independent (though it's still 100 percent owned by Nokia). That settled, Here Auto was launched last year as Nokia's connected car solution for automakers, competing with Apple's CarPlay and Android Auto. Nokia beat both companies to the punch, however, and it definitely shows. The latest version of Here Auto, launched at the Paris Auto Show, has very few rough edges. It's designed to think ahead of you, learn your habits, work with other devices and present information and options in the least distracting way possible. That's Nokia's goal, anyway -- to see if it succeeded, I took a tour around Paris in the company's Range Rover demonstrator.
