ParisAutoShow2016
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EV concepts merge with reality at the Paris Auto Show
I might have been imagining things, but automakers seemed a bit nervous at this year's Paris Auto Show. Maybe it's because it's first the first major car event to follow Tesla's successful Model 3 campaign, in which it snagged around 373,000 pre-orders for the EV. If Elon Musk's company can build that many (and that's a big if), the Model 3 will become one of the top ten selling vehicles in the US and a huge thorn in the side for mainstream manufacturers and dealers.
GLM unveils its exotic electric G4 concept car
Green Lord Motors, better known as GLM, has been called the Tesla of Japan on more than one occasion. Founded in 2010, GLM has quietly been producing its own electric vehicle platform paired with a third-party body much in the same way Tesla launched its original Roadster. This week at the Paris Auto Show, GLM unveiled a concept for its own luxury sedan: the GLM G4 with 536 horsepower and a 0–60 mph time of 3.7 seconds that puts it in striking distance of the Model S.
BMW teases an all-electric future with Mini and X3
BMW's outline to reinvent itself as an automaker of the future has a new wrinkle to it. The company plans to sell electric versions of the X3 SUV as well as an EV Mini, according to Reuters. There isn't a timeline for the former, but the latter is expected in roughly three years. In addition to licensing out its EV tech, it looks like the company will keep charging ahead (sorry) on its homegrown alternative fuel projects. This all dovetails nicely with the recently completed coastal charging network, Formula E news and the EV rumors from earlier this month. Will it be enough to get a leg up on Tesla, though?
Volkswagen previews its EV future with the I.D. concept
You wouldn't blame Volkswagen if it never wanted to hear the word "diesel" ever again. The German company desperately needs to swing from dirty to clean, so it launched the ID, a new platform for its next-gen EVs. The first model is a concept car, but it will eventually be built in some form and arrive to market in 2020. The company plans to build up to 20 different models based on its "Modular Electric Drive Kit" platform, and hopes to sell up to three million electric cars by the year 2025. I saw the car when it launched yesterday, and if anything, it looks better than the futuristic illustrations that leaked earlier. That design looks sharp from any angle (except maybe head-on) and I like the idea of a sliding rear door on a hatchback, even though it'll probably get axed from the final model. The inside is pure concept, with an LED dash display, retractable steering wheel for autonomous mode, and rear cameras instead of mirrors. Though concept cars are often dark or colorful, it's likely not a coincidence that the ID concept is white with blue interior accents. In effect, VW wants to make a fresh, bright start and put the dark days of diesel-gate and emissions cheating behind it.
A first look at Mercedes-Benz's Generation EQ concept EV
On the first Sunday of each month, you can't drive a car in Paris -- not unless it's electric. That's a trend that might just catch on elsewhere, judging by the fact that rival Tesla has pre-sold over 300,000 Model 3 EVs. So, Mercedes is suddenly taking this electric car thing very seriously with a new initiative called Generation EQ. Fittingly, the German company launched it at the Paris Auto Show with a concept car that's essentially a preview of its future electric tech. The platform can be used on a wide range of EVs, whether they're SUV or coupe-sized, thanks to the module components and battery packs. It also sports autonomous tech that can talk to other cars on the road and intelligent mapping that helps you find a charging station or parking spot. It's also got typical concept stuff like cameras instead of mirrors, screens everywhere and cool, but uncomfortable-looking seats. The biggest problem is the timeline: Mercedes probably should have announced a program like this a couple years ago, and the first vehicles won't be manufactured until 2019.
VW and Mercedes open Paris Auto Show with futuristic EVs
The Paris Auto Show is missing Lamborghini, Volvo and other automakers, but it's still one of the biggest displays of automotive tech in the world. Fittingly, in a city that bans gas-powered cars from its streets once a month, Volkswagen and Mercedes kicked things off with prototypes that represent their future EV ecosystems. That no doubt made everyone feel better about CO2 pollution, but most of the cars here are still burning fossil fuels, and for many, like the Jaguar F-type (below), plenty of it.
Mercedes will put an 'EQ' badge on its best electric cars
After confirming that it has quietly been working on a new sub-brand that will host a contemporary line of EVs, Mercedes today unveiled at the Paris Motor Show what it believes is the future of electric mobility. It's called Generation EQ and the first we're seeing of it is the new 402bhp SUV coupe concept pictured above, complete with twin electric motors, zero-emission drivetrain technology and a range of up to 311 miles. Like VW, Mercedes is putting it cars firmly in Tesla territory.
Volkswagen's I.D. arrives in 2020 with up to 370 mile range
VW has kicked off the Paris Motor Show with some (much needed) flair, unveiling the fully electric I.D.. The I.D. looks like something straight out of Back To The Future II, and has a suitably futuristic release date too: 2020. Volkswagen claims the 125 kW motor in the I.D. will have a huge range, landing somewhere between 250 and a pretty impressive (if true) 370 miles. You might have to wait a few years to get one, and be prepared to pay "Golf" money for it, but VW says the I.D. is actually the "ambassador" for a whole new electric line-up. For now, we took a look at the concept model right here in 2016 in Paris.
Mercedes to show its Tesla-fighting electric sedan in September
It's no secret that Mercedes-Benz eventually wants to compete with Tesla, not just partner with it, and you won't have to wait much longer to see how that rivalry shakes out. The company's David McCarthy tells Motoring.com.au that you should see a concept version of Merc's Tesla-beating electric sedan in September, or shortly before the Paris Motor Show. Its exact specs are a mystery (even McCarthy hasn't seen it; you're looking at the IAA Concept), but it should sit in the Model S' price bracket and offer similar driving range when it launches, most likely in 2018. There were previously teases that it would be "dangerously fast," in case there was any doubt that it would be a performance-minded ride.
