We were left wanting more, to put it mildly, two years ago, with a Paris World Cup deprived of big news, including French ones. But this year, it’s quite the opposite! The French manufacturers are almost all there, only DS is missing, which has nothing new to present this year.
But the others, Renault, Citroën, Peugeot, Alpine and Dacia (which we considered for the moment as a French manufacturer…), arrived with the hood filled to the brim. Overview of the main ones, because we were even forced to make choices!
R5, R4, C3, C4, e-408, Bigster: the essential new French models at the 2024 Paris Motor Show
It’s THE star of the 2024 World Cup. This 100% electric city car, which plays on nostalgia and takes up the main style lines of the 1972 R5, attracts crowds. Bright colors, an assertive neo-retro look, it will also attract customers with affordable prices. But not right away, because the first models on sale are the top of the range with a large battery and high finish, priced at €33,490 (150 hp, 52 kWh, 410 km range).
But there will also be a 120 hp engine with 42 kWh battery (320 km range) and an entry-level 95 hp. The latter will not be entitled to fast charging, the 120 hp will be able to charge at 80 kW, and the 150 hp at 100 kW.
Find our test of the R5
Clearly exploiting the neo-retro vein to the fullest, the diamond brand is also presenting the R4 this year. It is also a “tribute” to the iconic “4L” of 1961, but here, it is no longer an ultra-basic city car that presents itself to you, but a small urban SUV, 4.14 m long, with a trunk. generous 420 liters, and also 100% electric.
There are numerous nods to the original, such as the shape of the grille (now luminous, like the logo), the capsule-shaped taillights and the general proportions. The interior is taken from the R5. and the possibilities for customization, both interior and exterior, will be extensive.
On the engine side, the R4 takes the most powerful of the R5, therefore the 120 hp with 42 kWh battery, and the 150 hp 52 kWh, the latter pair offering 400 km of autonomy. The price is not yet set, but Renault guarantees an entry-level price of less than €30,000.
If you think it looks like a Renault 5, you’re obviously not fooled since the Alpine A290 is an R5 with Alpine flavor. But it benefits from some stylistic developments such as the raising of the daytime running lights to the level of the lights, giving it a look more resembling that of the A110, and the body kit is overall more aggressive, and that gives it a personality of its own.
Mechanically, the engines are completely different, and taken from the Mégane E-Tech. We will have the choice between a 180 hp which achieves 0 to 100 in 7.4 s. and a 220 hp which gains 1 full second on this exercise. Both are coupled to the large 52 kWh battery, which allows you to travel between 364 and 380 km on a charge.
Prices are set at €34,700 for the 180 hp and €37,700 for the 220 hp, taking into account the ecological bonus of €4,000.
This car is crazy. A true swan song of the A110, destined to disappear in the short term, the brand becoming 100% electric, it multiplies the exclusives. 1.8 turbo engine pushed to 325 hp, and even 345 hp if we use high octane RON 102 fuel, i.e. + 45 hp compared to the normal A110 R. The torque increases to 420 Nm (+ 80 Nm), and the 0 to 100 km/h gain is a tenth (3.8 s.).
But what is most exclusive is its stratospheric price. The 110 copies that will be produced will cost a base price of €265,000! That’s €159,000 more than an A110 R Turini model. And if you opt for a version with gradient blue paint, applied by hand, it will even cost €330,000! So is it worth the cost? In any case, the planned copies are almost all already sold.
We consciously considered Dacia as a French brand, knowing that it could be controversial. The brand is “Franco-Romanian” anyway… And its big new feature this year is the Bigster. We could summarize it as an extended version of the third generation Duster, but it is a little more than that. It grows by 27 cm compared to the Duster (i.e. 4.57 m) and its trunk gains 150 liters (667 dm3). Rear passengers also have a little more room thanks to a wheelbase increased by 4 cm.
But the Bigster also goes further than the Duster. Thicker carpets, dual-zone air conditioning, motorized tailgate, 10-inch digital instrumentation, improved soundproofing, it makes the necessary effort to justify higher prices (from €25,000). The engines will also be specific to it, with a micro-hybrid 1.2 of 140 hp, and a completely new full hybrid 1.8 of 155 hp.
We still remain here in the Renault galaxy, since Mobilize is an entity of the diamond manufacturer which deals with new mobility, electric of course, mainly. And on the brand’s stand, we find the one that can be considered as the replacement for the Renault Twizy: the Duo. A light quadricycle which uses the principle of two seats one behind the other, with a reduced length of 2.43 m.
But this time, we have real doors, and very rich equipment for this category (driver’s airbag, air conditioning, heated windshield, etc.). The 10.3 kWh battery offers a range of up to 161 km. So of course, the price of €9,990 for version 45 (accessible without a license) is higher than that of the Citroën Ami (€7,990) but autonomy and performance are much higher. An 80 version which requires the B license is also available, for €11,600.
This is another big star of the Paris show. The fourth generation of C3 is indeed arriving on the market with a strong argument, that of price! Indeed, it will be available from €14,990 in 100 hp 1.2 Puretech petrol version. It also exists in a hybrid version, still 100 hp, from €20,200. AND of course, let’s not forget the 100% electric ë-C3. Equipped with a 44 kWh battery, it has a range of 300 km and its 113 hp engine allows it to go from 0 to 100 km/h in 11 seconds. Be careful with the maximum speed limited to 135 km/h.
The new C3 is also spacious, comfortable, correctly equipped, even at entry level, and if its finish is average, its exterior look can seduce, incorporating the latest stylistic codes of the brand, the three-segment lighting signature, and the new logo.
Another novelty bearing the double chevron, the C4, which returns in a restyled version. The goal was to simplify the style, which appeared complex, and potentially the cause of too timid sales. Here, the front and rear faces have been revised, also integrating the brand’s new logo and revised light signatures. It is indeed more successful in our opinion.
The interior sees a new 7-inch instrumentation in front of the driver. But for the rest, it’s the status quo. Under the hood, we note the disappearance of 100% thermal engines. There remain 1.2 Puretech hybrids in 100 and 136 hp. And of course electric motors. The 136 hp with a 46 kWh net battery (340 km range) and the new 156 hp with a 51 kWh battery (420 km range).
Prices start from €28,250.
We already know the 408, of course, but not its 100% electric version! It too is therefore going there, for the moment using the 210 hp engine from the E-3008. On the other hand, it benefits from a new, unique NMC battery, which offers a capacity of 58.2 kWh, and which on paper allows it to cover 453 km on mixed routes.
It will be able to charge at 11 kW in alternating current, and up to 120 kW in direct current on fast terminals.
Prices are set at €43,900 for the entry-level Allure, and €45,900 for the top-of-the-range GT. It will be able to benefit from the ecological bonus, which will reduce these prices.
