Why the Paris Motor show was buzzing, even without Bugatti
For some, the 2016 Paris Motor Show will be remembered as the event where marques were missed. In the lead up to this year's Mondial De L'Automobile, which opens to the public this weekend, much of the reporting was around absence not presence. This was going to be a show with no Aston Martin, no Bentley, no Bugatti, no Ford, Lamborghini, Mazda, Rolls-Royce or Volvo. But with the likes of Bugatti and Rolls-Royce at the highest echelons and Ford and Mazda at the heart of the mainstream missing, the themes, trends and issues surrounding the automotive industry were actually easier to see and hear.
Though connectivity and autonomous driving were big this year, the most important takeaway from Paris is that alternative power sources are no longer alternative. When Mercedes and Volkswagen both go "all-in" albeit in conceptual form, plug-in electric power in particular is starting to look like a safe bet.
"The emission-free automobile is the future," said Dr Dieter Zetsche, CEO of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars as his company took the wraps off the Generation EQ.
As well as eventually eradicating dependence on fossil fuels, moving over to tiny electric motors and battery packs also gives car designers a host of new possibilities.
"We have shrunk the cooling grilles to a minimum, shifted the axles far outwards and created breathtaking proportions," said Klaus Bischoff, VW's Head of Design about the I.D. "The electric powertrain gives our designers far greater freedom."
Both the VW and Mercedes concepts promise 500-600km ranges -- currently unheard of in mainstream electric cars -- but there is still a concern within the industry that range anxiety, plus a lack of adequate support from governments around the world in terms of subsidies or infrastructure, could still make or break plug ins.
Take BMW. It already moved into the electric vehicle market with the premium i3 and in Paris was promoting its vastly improved battery that takes range to 300km. But it is continuing to invest in all other forms of propulsion.
"What we're saying is that we continue to develop diesel, we continue to develop gasoline, we continue to develop hybrids and eclectic vehicles and hydrogen is still on the table too. Because there is no one solution that fits all at the moment," said Dr. Ian Robertson, BMW's head of Sales and Marketing.
So the traditional car isn't dead yet, but its days are definitely numbered, potentially giving away to other forms of propulsion as soon as 2040.
Robertson is firmly of the opinion that this is one of the most exciting periods of innovation in the history of the automobile but even with changes happening so quickly, it could take new companies and intense rivalry to accelerate things.
"I'm absolutely sure that in this era we're now entering there will be a lot of new players," he said. "Players that come with an electric vehicle, maybe. But at the end of the day competition is healthy, it's good for this industry."
He also confirmed that the company has a very innovative "iNext" vehicle in the pipeline that could change everything.
Still, the competition that could bring these cars forward could come from an existing player. The European version of the Chevrolet Bolt, the Opel Ampera-e made its debut here while Nissan and Renault -- who have been long promoting electric cars-- showcased its first 400km range vehicle, the Renult Zoe.
"It's a breakthrough in all-electric motoring that will provide the range needed to make any motorist comfortable choosing electric," said Carlos Ghosn - Groupe Renault Chairman and CEO.
