2016 Paris Motor Show Preview
The Paris Motor Show is just weeks away. Officially known as the Mondial de l’Automobile, the show which rotates yearly with the Frankfurt Auto Show will see the debut of some beautiful machinery. Here’s the scoop on five cars slated to appear in Paris.
GLM G4
Autocar report that GLM (Green Lord Motors), an electric-vehicle startup company based in Japan, will show their G4 electric supercar at the Paris Motor Show, which begins on October 1st.
GLM is building the G4 off of the Roadyacht GTS, a failed four-seater supercar from defunct Dutch company Savage Rivale. The Roadyacht GTS, which was supposed to be powered by a Corvette V8 engine, lost steam after its introduction in 2011 and never made it to production.
Ferrari LaFerrari Aperta
No one knows for certain if the LaFerrari convertible, now officially confirmed as the LaFerrari Aperta, will make its debut two weeks from now at the Mondial de l’Automobile — but we sure hope so.
What we do know is that it will use a removable hard or soft-top made of carbon fiber, eschewing a traditional folding top due to weight and packaging restrictions.
A reported 150 examples are planned for production, to be delivered in 2017, and are already all sold out. Pricing is unknown, but Autocar previously reported that a private broker claimed he could find you one for €3.5 million (roughly $3.9 million USD at today’s exchange rates).
Mercedes-AMG GT C Roadster
A recently released teaser video of the new Mercedes-AMG GT C Roadster indicates the soft-topped convertible may make a cameo in Paris next month.
Mercedes are serious about keeping the GT C Roadster a proper sports car, which is why they’ve decided to forgo the use of a heavy, electric folding hard-top.
Set to go on sale sometime in 2017, it will likely be available in both regular 456hp GT trim or 503hp GT S trim, with a likely price premium of at least $10,000 over the coupe.
Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo
The Panamera Sport Turismo first appeared as a concept at the 2012 Paris Motor Show. It will make its world debut as an official production model at the same show this year, closely resembling the shooting brake concept we saw four years ago.
From the trunk forward, it appears to be identical to the newly introduced second-generation Panamera, whose restyling incorporates design elements from the 911.
Speculation is that the Sport Turismo, which will offer more head room and trunk space than the sedan, will be sold in the same trim levels as its standard-bodied counterpart, from entry-level to full-blown Turbo S.
Toyota FCV Plus Concept
The compressed-hydrogen powered Toyota FCV Plus Concept car will make its European debut at the Paris Motor Show, after first having been revealed at the Tokyo Motor Show last year.
Toyota doesn’t expect the FCV Plus to reach production for at least 15 years, but if and when it does, the Japanese manufacturer believe it will greatly benefit society not just as a means of transportation, but as a fuel source capable of generating electricity both at home and away from it.
Much of the interior is supported by a minimalistic-looking honeycomb structure, creating space for up to four passengers underneath its blue glasshouse.
