REVIEW: Paris Motor Show 2010, Paris, France October 2010

OK so this is less of a review and more a relaying of my experience really. The 2010 Paris Motor show or Modial De L'Automobile -for once something sounds better in English than in French which is very unusual - finished yesterday after occupying the whole of the ginormous Parce Des Expositions at Porte De Versailles.

Having never been to the Paris Motor Show before I had no idea what to expect. I was lucky enough to have been invited by French car maker Peugeot who kindly gave me an extra invite to bring my Photographer (I'm useless).

We decided to go to one of the 'nocturnes' or night events. These happen on the first and second Thursday of the show and the show is open until 10pm on these days, giving those who have day jobs a chance to visit after work. This was probably not the greatest idea I have ever had. Thankfully being a regular attender of public events with large audiences I'm used to being caught in a crowd and although unpleasant can control the urge to try and escape somewhat. There was an overwhelmingly large amount of people in attendance so be warned if you are thinking about going next year.

I really wanted to see the new generation of Electric Vehicles due for release very soon and was not disappointed. There was a whole building dedicated solely to EV's and you could even test drive some. Check out the image below of Peugeot's new iON. This is an amazing experience. The ride is so different to a normal car and the lack of noise is surreal and will take some getting used to. This gave a glimpse into the very near future when our town and city streets will be much quieter places to live work and play in and around. This will especially suit the cosmpolitan cafe culture so prevalent here in Paris that is often blighted by pollution and noise from the road (although that does not deter the locals).

Although practical and exciting, technolically and environmentally speaking, the iON does not really excite ones creative imagination. It is rather bland to look at and with a limited range and top speed is not going to (and indeed is not intended to) be used as a recreational driving experience. 

The image pictured at the top of the page is the limited edition Tesla Tag Heuer Roadster. There was a lot of excitemet around this vehicle and I was fortunate enough to get close enough to have a good look. Looks amazing inside and out. Unfortunately it was not available to test drive.

I was a little disappointed not to be able to get anywhere near the Renault DeZir concept car which is even more exciting visually than the Tesla but sadly there were just too many people around the Renault exhibition. If you want to see what I'm talking about Click Here.

So this was a really great experience and with so much to see and do I'll hopefully be attending next year too!

PHOTOS: Emilie Nissim-Gagnon