Not much inspiration here
And the Paris show is unlikely to provide many exciting new models to inspire buyers across Europe.
"There are unusually few important major product launches, with the European majors being notably quiet," said investment banker Citigroup in a report.
"Only Citroen (with the C4 Picasso minivan) and BMW (Mini) are using Paris for major launches," said Citigroup.
Other new cars making their debuts include the Audi A4 and Audi R8 supercar, the Fiat 500 (part of a joint venture with Ford to replace its little Ka city car), the Ford Mondeo, Nissan Qashqai and X-Trail, Land Rover Freelander, Volvo C30, and Toyota Corolla (now to be called the Auris). BMW may unveil its new made-in-America X-5. Determined to keep its lead in hybrids, Toyota's premium subsidiary Lexus will display its range-topping LS600h, a hybrid with a V-8 engine which is said to perform like a V-12.
GM Europe will showcase its important Opel Corsa, but this small car, the offspring of the ill-fated marriage with Fiat, has already gone on sale across Europe. Ominously, China will be showing that it is about to add to the competition from Asia, with the Landwind minivan, an SUV from Jiangling Motors and a Great Wall SUV and pickup
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060927/AUTO02/609270301
