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

We're going to Paris Motor Show 2010!

Looks like Vainzine will be attending this years Paris Motor Show. The show starts 2 October. We'll let you know once it's confirmed we will be attending. Looking forward to seeing the new concept cars including Renault's superb look Electric Vehicle the DeZir (pictured) as well as Peugeot who came out with the crazy looking BB1 last time around.

VOTE FOR VAINZINE:

VERY GOOD TRIP: The journey continues, vote now!

We have got an update for you from the VERY GOOD TRIP adventure!

After two weeks of road tripping, the English and the French teams have left. They were replaced by two new teams.Neil & Karen are from the UK and the horribly named 'Bros Brothers 'from France! These teams really need to make up for lost time so keep an eye on them!

From Frankfurt to Bruges and from Troyes to Portofino, the candidates have already travelled across more than 15 European cities and have faced some rather amusing and surprising challenges. Check them out and keep up to date with the teams on their daily team updates on YouTube.

Keep up with their adventures every day!

The teams are giving their best to share their adventure with you! It would be a pity to miss their travel journals in Europe! So don’t hesitate and log on the website to follow your favourite team as well as the other candidates. Keep up with the latest news, by watching the “DAILY TEAM UPDATES” and by following them on Twitter and FlickR! You can also join the Facebook Fan Page too!

Don't forget that you can VOTE for your favourite team to win the competition. But be quick as time is running out very quickly. You only have until July 9th 6PM to vote for your favourite team. Your vote is important and will help to decide the eventual winning team so choose carefully!

On July 12th the “handing over of the keys” episode will be online. In this episode you will be able to see who won the competition and gets to keep the two cars. That's only six days away!

Check out the Week 3 Best Of teaser video below:

VERY GOOD TRIP hits the road!

More than 400,000 unique visitors have followed the casting and the reveal of the candidates of the VERY GOOD TRIP! The adventure starts now for real.

Motivated, enthusiastic, up to anything, the 8 European teams have just left for the road trip of their lives! Each week they must travel across one European country, win the challenges set for them but most importantly catch your eye with their personality because you decide who will win! By voting for your favorite team, you have the power to determine the winner of VERY GOOD TRIP.

To win the challenges, the candidates have to give everything, pump up the adrenaline and go beyond the extreme. The objective is to succeed in each challenge and avoid the point counters to be blocked for 24 h!

Vote for your favourite team at any time. These votes will determine the amount of points each teams get. At the end of the week the team that will have collected the highest number of points will win a great VIP moment. However, the team that finishes last each week will have to face a forfeit: a difficult moment for them indeed!

Each day, 8 “DAILY TEAM UPDATES” are available on the VERY GOOD TRIP website. These programs will reveal 8 personal visions of Europe, stories and unusual scenes. And every Monday, the “VERY GOOD TRIP “ episode is shown featuring with all the best moments of the adventure and also the "TEAM "BEST OF". All in all, 13h of programme will be available to follow this great road trip!

Check out the latest show here.

Join this exceptional adventure and vote for your favourite team, right now! And don't forget to join the Facebook fan page too!

Meet the Very Good Trip Candidates!

From June the 14th to July the 12th hop on board for a very special road trip throughout Europe with 8 European teams and 2 exceptional cars: the new Renault Mégane Coupé-Cabriolet and Renault Wind! During the 4 week period, you will follow and share the daily adventures, hard times and good times of the VERY GOOD TRIP team. There will be oodles of extreme action and intense emotions, team spirit, going beyond your limit and some very unusual scenes. Get involved and vote for your favourite team to help them get maximum points through the competition.

After five weeks of casting, during the prestigious 63rd Anniversary of the Cannes Festival, 8 European teams were revealed to live an exclusive adventure of reality TV on the web, the VERY GOOD TRIP!

From Rome to Paris to Berlin, from London to Zurich with a stop in Amsterdam, from fresh Brussels to roasting Madrid, to names a few, the 8 teams of the VERY GOOD TRIP will have to complete the following mission each week: travel across one country, win two challenges, a ritual and most importantly become the favourite team as voted by you internet users and gain as many votes as possible.
 

The team that will have cumulated the biggest number of points will win two exceptional cars: the New Renault Mégane Coupé-Cabriolet and Renault Wind as well as the financial equivalent of one year of insurance and petrol. Pretty amazing prize but remember the 7 losers go away with nothing so the stakes are high. Don't miss it and don't forget to vote for your favourite team!

Here are the candidates:

UK: "God save the team":

Angela and Richard weren’t made to meet each other! Yet they found each other, and their friendship is the driving force behind this team. Look out, they might usually drive on the left, but for this adventure they’re ready to steam right ahead!!

France: "A slice of life, and barrels of laughter!"

Laetitia, 24, and Ludovic, 26, are launching into this human adventure in the same way they go about their lives: to the max!

But, most important of all, never taking themselves too seriously!

Germany: "Friends first!"

Timo and Rhon, two Berliners who are really into new technology, will use their brains, their brawn and their charismatic smiles to get the votes on their side! Watch out for this explosive duo!

Netherlands: "Young drivers!":

Denise and Robert, the youngest members of the group, have been inseparable since school. Look out, they fully intend for youth to triumph in this brand new adventure!

Belgium: "Sister Act":

For them, adventures are a family affair, which is why these two Belgian sisters have packed their bags full of humour and energy to take part in this VERY GOOD TRIP!!

And they’ve got their whole family behind them!

Switzerland: "Set your clock to Swiss time!"

Mind your eyes and your ears, the Swiss team is on it’s way to your country,

and with Lorin & Cyril there’s bound to be some noise!

Brimming with motivation, they’re just as sure about winning.

Italy: "Serial lovers":

GIANNI and ANGELO, who are both single, are hoping to get all Italians united.Can Italy dominate Europe?

It’s up to you to decide!

Spain: "Viva Espana"

This team joins us directly from Madrid!

Made up of two young models who haven’t known each other long, the team are here to make the most of this journey to get to know each other and to prove to you that they are true competitors.

They're going to give it their all to win VERY GOOD TRIP!

Check out the teams as they embark on their first mission at the Cannes Film Festival and compete for a chance to win a walk down the Red Carpet like proper celebs. Don't forget to visit the Facebook Fanpage too!