2006 Paris Auto Show (Retro Muscle Cars and S.U.V.s still strong)

Now that the Paris show is over, here's the rundown of what showed up and what didn't. As expected, the Chevrolet WTCC Ultra concept kicked things off with its take on what a European muscle car would look like. It was followed by the Opel Antara, which is almost identical to the 2008 Saturn Vue out next year. Volvo finally showed off its long-awaited C30 hatchback; not surprisingly, it looked just like the concept.

On the more exotic side, Porsche rolled out the 911 Targa alongside the track-ready 911 GT3 RS. Both wore odd shades of orange, yet they both looked pretty good anyway. There was an equivalent display of power on the Mercedes-Benz stand as it introduced the 2008 CL63 AMG and the SLR McLaren 722 supercar. Also on display at Mercedes were the redesigned CL550 coupe and the S63 AMG sedan. Audi got into the high-powered performance-car game as well with the R8 supercar.

For those with slightly shallower pockets, the Dodge Avenger was shown for the first time. Looking like a pint-size Dodge Charger, the Avenger will have V6 power at the most — no Hemi. The next-generation Mini Cooper also got its first public viewing. It doesn't look much different from the old one, but with new engines and a new interior it should carry on the Mini name for many years to come. Volkswagen rolled out what it thinks could be the affordable performance car of the future with the Iroc concept. It doesn't look much like the old VW Scirocco, but in this heritage-soaked business that's probably a good thing.

Other notable debuts in Paris included the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione, a Honda Civic Type-R and refreshed versions of the Hyundai Tiburon and Subaru Legacy.

Paris is a city of fashion, and what's hot in the City of Lights is hot everywhere. With the 2006 Paris auto show opening its doors in the French capital this week, the world's carmakers are taking advantage of Paris as a place to showcase their new models and ideas for the future.

Leading the list of notable world premieres is Audi's R8 sportscar. It has the guts of a Lamborghini and a unique design nearly unchanged from the concept. We hear it will use an Audi V8, but a V10 is in the works too. It will need all the help it can get as Porsche is rolling out two more versions of the 911. The Targa is as close as you can get to a convertible without losing the roof while the 911 GT3 RS blurs the line between a street legal coupe and a weekend racer.

BMW doesn't have anything nearly as powerful, but its refreshed X3 is just as important to its bottom line. Much the same could be said about Mini's all-new Cooper. Other debuts to watch for include the production version of the Volvo C30, a Dodge sedan and Volkswagen's Scirocco concept. Coverage starts on Thursday the 28th with blog posts, full articles and videos of everything worth seeing. Check out our unveil page for a full press conference schedule.

Citroën More than just a simple assembly of automotive metal, the Paris auto show is used as a platform for car designers to air jazzy new concepts and stylistic trends, as reflected by hometown favorite Citroën's unveiling of the dramatic new C-Métisse.

Once a harbinger of automotive fashion, Citroën conspicuously lost its way in the 1980s and 1990s as it brought out one car after another that had conservative styling and was a disappointment to drive. We can all applaud the French marque's recent return to cutting-edge design, which has it turning out some of the world's most appealing-looking cars again — even if, like the C-Métisse, many of them are only one-off concepts never intended to see production of any kind.

Said to preview the face of Citroën's next-generation C5, the C-Métisse is out to prove that high-performance motoring needn't be harmful to the environment by running a diesel-electric hybrid system that mates a 205-horsepower 3.0-liter V6 diesel engine driving the front wheels with two 20-watt electric motors supplying drive to the rear wheels. This setup gives the gull-winged four-door sedan the ability to reach 62 mph from a standstill in 6.2 seconds, a top speed of 155 mph — and average fuel consumption of 45 mpg.

Peugeot More arresting even than the new Citroën is sister company Peugeot's gorgeous 908RC. This big luxury-car concept has two roles. On one hand, it previews the look Peugeot is planning for its replacement for the range-topping 607 due out in 2008, while on the other, it brings to light a new 700-hp 5.5-liter V12 diesel engine that's planned to power the French carmaker's 2007 Le Mans 24 Hours racing car, also on display in Paris.

Renault Not to be outdone, French rival Renault has brought along the Nepta, a low-slung four-seater that provides a glimpse of a coupe version of the next Laguna. The Nepta is a four-seater convertible, but the word around Paris is that Renault will place a roof on it to turn it into a rival for Peugeot's 407 coupe. The sleek styling develops a shape first revealed on Renault's 2004 Fuence concept, itself said to preview the new Laguna liftback due out next year. The Nepta's most striking feature is its electric gullwing doors, which form the complete body side. Power comes from a gutsy 417-hp 3.5-liter V6 gasoline engine that's claimed to provide the new Renault with 0-62-mph acceleration in just 4.9 seconds. That is not quite as quick as its championship-winning F1 car, but it's still new performance territory for France's No.1 carmaker.

Alfa Romeo One car we've seen before that's being presented in production-ready form for the first time at Paris is Alfa Romeo's delectable new 8C. It's set to remain super-exclusive: The Italian carmaker plans to build just 500 examples of the new two-seat coupe, which receives a lightweight carbon-fiber body shell and the same rear-wheel-drive platform as the Maserati Coupe. Power comes from a 4.7-liter V8 developing a sturdy 450 hp. Official North American sales are highly unlikely, although Alfa Romeo doesn't rule out that the odd 8C could be imported through private channels.

Audi While the French are busy previewing the cars they intend to build in the future, Audi storms Paris with the long-awaited production version of its Le Mans concept car. Badged R8, the sleek midengine two-seater is based on the same underpinnings as the Lamborghini Gallardo, and runs the same 4.2-liter V8 engine found in the German carmaker's rapid RS4. Prices haven't been released, but don't expect much change from $150,000 when the R8 heads to the United States late next year. Get your order in early, though. Only 5,000 of Audi's new performance flagship are expected to be built each year.

Dodge Moving up a class, Dodge unveils a lightly veiled concept of its upcoming Avenger. Following on the well-received Caliber, Nitro, Hornet and Challenger, this latest Dodge boasts distinctive styling, combining elements such as the stepped rear arches of the Charger sedan with the upright grille made famous on the Ram pickup. Although it's billed as a concept, expect something very similar to go on sale in 2007.

The Avenger is a sister car to the Chrysler Sebring, unveiled at the London auto show back in July. It uses the same front-wheel-drive platform, and will be offered with the choice of two gasoline engines — a 173-hp 2.4-liter four-cylinder or a 189-hp 2.7-liter V6 — with Europe also set to get a 140-hp 2.0-liter four-cylinder diesel supplied by Volkswagen.

Fiat Fiat delves into the past for its crucial replacement for the unsuccessful Stilo hatchback and wagon by christening it "Bravo." This is the first Fiat model to be styled under Frank Stephenson, who rose to prominence as the man behind the look of the new Mini. The new Bravo closely follows the form of the Italian carmaker's smaller Grande Punto.

Ford Not willing to let a Detroit rival gain too much of the limelight, Ford will fight the unveiling of the Dodge Avenger by whipping the covers off a concept for its new Europe-market Mondeo, which is due to go into production early next year.

Hyundai/Kia Hyundai is wheeling out its replacement for the Accent under the baffling Arnejs moniker. Not to be outdone, the Korean company's little sister, Kia, has brought along a new compact hatchback wearing the name "Cee'd" (pronounced "seed").

Lancia Speaking of revivals, nearly forgotten Italian carmaker Lancia is using this year's Paris show to kick-start a model rejuvenation plan aimed at more than doubling sales by the end of the decade. The first salvo in Paris is the new Lancia Delta HPE concept. Based around the same underpinnings as the new Fiat Bravo, the compact hatchback is expected to go into production in little-changed form in 2008 to underpin a whole new Lancia lineup now under development.

Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz continues its long-running horsepower fest in Paris, unveiling both the S63 AMG and the CL63 AMG. Both receive the German carmaker's new 6.2-liter 525-hp V8 and are capable of getting from zero to 62 mph in just 4.6 seconds — not exactly lacking in firepower.

But even these two can't hold a candle to Mercedes-Benz's most potent model, the SLR Edition 722. Priced $25,500 over the standard SLR for an eye-watering $554,000, it gets a reworked supercharged 5.4-liter V8 engine producing a mammoth 650 hp — enough, claims Mercedes-Benz, to provide its super-exclusive carbon-fiber-bodied two-seater with a top speed over 200 mph. You need to get lucky to see one on the road, though: Only 150 are planned for production.

Toyota While there will be horsepower aplenty, another interesting aspect evident in Paris is an effort by carmakers to provide their new models with catchy names, all aimed at making them attractive to a newer and younger buying audience. The next Toyota Corolla, for instance, is being shown in concept-car form under the name "Auris."

Volkswagen A revival theme will be evident at Volkswagen, which is set to bring back the Scirocco after a 20-year hiatus. In Paris, the German carmaker reveals how the new car will look, pulling the wraps off the Iroc, a bullish-looking three-door hatchback based on the Golf and running a 210-hp version of Volkswagen's groundbreaking new turbocharged and supercharged 1.4-liter four-cylinder TwinCharger engine. Look for it in North American showrooms in 2008.

Also making its world debut is the Volkswagen CrossGolf, a lightly modified version of the German carmaker's Golf Plus with added exterior cladding and a raised ride height.

Volvo Those who can't wait for VW's 2008 Scirocco may well be attracted to Volvo's similarly conceived C30, another of the many cars making its world premiere in Paris. The Swedish carmaker's new entry-level model is geared at providing a foothold in the compact-hatchback segment, Europe's largest market segment. Based on the same underpinnings as the European Ford Focus, Volvo is looking toward the C30 to attract younger buyers by appealing to those currently attracted by the BMW 1 Series, Audi A3 and Mercedes-Benz A-Class.

And finally...SUVs are so Paris The haute-low-couture sport-utility-vehicle segment is far from being ignored in Paris. Au contraire. With the new BMW X5, Land Rover Freelander, Mitsubishi Pajero and face-lifted versions of the Volkswagen Touareg and Land Rover Defender — and a quaking 500-hp twin-turbocharged 6.0-liter V12 diesel-powered version of the recently released Audi Q7 — all making their debuts in Paris, it's clear the four-wheel-drive ranks will continue to thrive for some time to come.

A further trend strengthened in Paris is the shift toward crossover vehicles offering the room and practicality of your typical SUV, based around more conventional carlike construction and often doing without a complex four-wheel-drive mechanical base in the interest of lower pricing. Among them are the Nissan Qashqai, Ssangyong Actyon and a new Peugeot that sits on the same underpinnings as the Mitsubishi Outlander.

Alfa-Romeo will return to the US auto market in 2008.

"...the new Alfa Romeo flagship unveiled here in Paris today, the much-anticipated 8C Competizione. After finally seeing this two-seat sports car in the flesh, we can confirm that the production model is an Italian knockout dressed in red - red-painted carbon fiber, that is. And with a 90 degree 4.7-liter V8 engine cramming 450 horsepower and 347 lb-ft of torque through a paddle shifter-controlled six-speed transaxle to the rear wheels, Alfa's claim of a 0-100 kph (0 to 62 mph) acceleration time "under 4.2 seconds" is utterly believable.

But the even bigger news, delivered by Alfa Romeo Executive Vice President Antonio Baravalle himself, was confirmation that the 8C will in fact be coming to the United States. When we asked Mr. Baravalle when we could expect the Competizione to hit US shores, he enthused, "You can order this car after the show," but went on to explain that US deliveries won't occur until early 2008 - about 20 months from now, but leapfrogging Alfa's reported late 2009 "full line" return by almost two years...Only 500 examples of the Alfa Romeo 8C Compitizione are scheduled to be built for worldwide consumption, so if you want one, be ready to put your order in early, wait patiently, and expect to pay something north of $200, 000 (US).

Unveiled: Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren 722

Why bother making one of the world's fastest supercars more powerful? Because you can. Mercedes-Benz says the introduction of the SLR McLaren was in response to customer demands for even more performance. But let's face it, most owners are barely scratching the surface of this car's capabilities to begin with so that excuse goes down like a raw egg. This car is all about staying on top, so its power was bumped to 650 horses while the suspension was tweaked to deliver even better handling. Acceleration to 60 is down to 3.6 seconds while the top speed is up to 209mph. And what about the 722? It was the starting number of the SLR driven by Stirling Moss that won the 1955 Mille Miglia.

GM just unveiled its WTCC concept car with a standard press conference hosted by its top designers. You would think months of involvement with the car would put them in a unique position to talk about it details and development, but they mostly just read the company line off cue cards. Lucky for them, the WTCC (World Touring Car Championship) doesn't really need much explanation. It was conceived as a muscle car for Europe, and it has all the requisite design cues you would expect -- wide stance, big fenders, huge rear wing. Instead of a big block under the hood it gets a 190hp four-cylinder diesel. Hardly the stuff of muscle car legend, but maybe the idea is to outgun the competition with really great gas mileage.

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