HICHEM Posted October 2, 2018 Posted October 2, 2018 The Mondial De L’Auto, held in Paris’s Porte de Versailles exhibition centre, traditionally features a host of new metal from some of the world’s biggest manufacturers. While this year’s show is slightly quieter than usual, there are still a number of significant new launches, including the new BMW 3 Series, the Mercedes-Benz B-Class, and the Skoda Kodiaq vRS. The Volkswagen Group used to try and dominate the motor show conversation with its ‘Group Night’ show within a show on the eve of a major motor show. In Paris, it’s hardly even turned up. How things change. Peugeot CEO Jean Phillipe Imparato says other carmaker's ideas of autonomous "boxes" transporting people to one place is "totally boring". He reckons that such technology should be used to enhance driving pleasure, not remove it entirely, citing the e-Legend concept as an example of that. Imparato also took a dig at other manufacturer's production delays due to WLTP legislation. "We didn't have to stop production, we didn't have to store stock, we didn't have to buy airports to park loads of unsold cars in. We were ready". We haven't verified it, but the Bugatti Divo may be the most expensive car at this year's Paris motor show with a base price of £4.5m. However, it has a significance well beyond that, as CEO Stephan Winkelmann told Autocar on the eve of the event. "If we want to turn some of our ideas into reality then the important thing is to show that we can widen our customer base - and this is what the Divo has done," he said, referencing the possibility of a second model line joining the Bugatti stable. Why did the development team behind the new BMW 3 Series head to Wales for testing during the car's development? BMW's driving dynamics boss Peter Langen is full of praise for the challenges the roads present - although not all for good reasons. "The roads in Wales are challenging - both for the contours and types of corners, but also sometimes the quality," he says. "The point is that if a car works on such challenging roads, then it will work anywhere. Wales can cover almost every type of challenge a car will face." 1
Recommended Posts