The 2012 Paris Motor Show (Full Gallery)
The Paris Motor Show is a big one for MINI. The MINI Paceman, JCW Countryman and of course the JCW GP are making their production debuts there. Yet there’s more in Paris than MINI. From BMW debuting their first front wheel drive concept (and a a sneak peak at F56 MINI’s new engine and platform) to VW showing off the new Golf and GTI it’s a huge show for the ordinary cars that will be roaming local streets for years to come. You can check out the entire gallery after the break and note we’ll have more photos of both the MINI and BMW displays soon.
<p>Huh. The Panamera wagon actually kind of works.</p>
<p>The stickers on the GP definitely don’t work. Someone should be fired.</p>
<p>I agree ! Great car but really ugly stickers ;-)</p>
<p>Love the Panamera. Lukewarm about the stickers.</p>
<p>Stickers can be removed, not really a significant factor.</p>
<p>Maybe not in your decision about buying this car, but a significant factor in assessing the performance of the employees who designed and approved them.</p>
<p>And while you’re at it… fire the guy who came up with that “decorative cargo restraint bar”. :)</p>
<p>I’d give the person who did the graphics a raise. Are you kidding? I didn’t even know the first Gp existed because there’s not a damn thing on it that the average person can tell makes it any different. If you want a sleeper or something, take all the stickers off and why not take the badging off while you’re at it? These cars are quirky, customizable and fun as hell to drive. if I could get side pipes on mine and flames on the hood from the factory I would. I think it looks cool so the notion of firing someone over finally giving this limited edition model something that tells you it’s different just sounds crazy to me.</p>
<p>Think of it as the MINI GT3RS(apart from the lack of power, considerable weight loss, and roll cage) and it makes a bit more sense</p>
<p>JCW follows M motorsport that is not exactly a reference compares to Porsche…</p>
<p>Winners: McLaren P1(definitely wind tunnel designed), Porsche Panamera Sport Wagon (this car went from hideous to hot just by making it a hatch!), Maserati GT convertible</p>
<p>Losers: Lamborghini Gallardo (seriously… What the hell were they thinking when they decided to refresh this design?)</p>
<p>… Meh…: Jaguar f-type (looks less like an Aston Martin and more like… a Nissan Z), Golf VII (a more angular Golf VI), and… drumroll please… MINI GP (other than the wheels and the color scheme, looks like an aftermarket enhanced JCW with too many stickers)</p>
<p>Wow you guys are rough. Its a love it or hate it design cue. Since they are not permanent remove them if you buy one and then just purchase an extra set that you can give to the next owner if you happen to sell it. Thats all. Its that simple. Its someones attempt at you-ifying this most special of all models JCW and I respect that.</p>
<p>I think they should be offered as as option and not by default. As you say, buyers could even elect to have them installed after purchase.</p>
<p>Hey piper, what’s up with dumping on “Mini dealerships management” – how does your presumably bad Mini experience in your neck of the woods make you an expert on all Mini dealers (worldwide?). I think your comments are a bit disingenuous – I suggest you visit Mini of Baltimore County as an example of a dealership that is well managed and cares about its customers. And no, I don’t work for or with them. I’m a Mini customer who appreciates doing business with a well run dealership, that in my experience, gets it right most of the time, pleasant to work with, supports local Mini clubs and does what it can to accommodate people before, during and AFTER the sale.</p>
<p>My experiences w/MINI of Fairfield County have been awesome – from sales to service and everything in between, they are personal, attentive and respectful.</p>
<p>Spoken like a true professional.</p>
<p>Well said, Mark. Well said.</p>
<p>Finally, a voice a reason! Nicely put Mark (Smith).</p>
<p>Okay what the heck is up with that Fiat?! It looks like a knockoff Countryman/Paceman. The lack of creativity in some car manufactures is ridiculous.</p>
<p>Regardless, there are some fine examples of true creativity at the auto show. Thanks for the gallery of pictures.</p>
<p>Aside from the paint scheme, Bentley gets my vote. Despite its heft, the flying B really flies and handles remarkably well not to mention it’s much sportier than a Rolls.</p>
<p>Admittedly I harp on this subject much more than I’d like to acknowledge, but it bears reiterating. That is, in my biased opinion, the GP2 significantly lacks the aesthetic refinement of its predecessor. Moreover, the bespoke Italian coach work that resulted in a remarkably beautiful product. It also had a truly aggressive and serious motorsports edge vis-a-vis back seat removal and roll cage. Granted even the GP1 could have been improved, but a bumper to bumper comparo must yield a resounding victory to the original design.</p>
<p>There are some truly exotic cars at the Paris Motor Show this year, but for the majority of us they are of purely academic interest. In the real world, two cars caught my attention. The latest Ford Mondeo is a particularly handsome car with its Aston Martin style front end. Aston Martin was prevbiously owned by Ford, and the latest Mondeo styling was signed off before Aston Martin was sold off. Its new owners are not happy, but there is nothing they can do about it. The other car is the Kia Pro_cee’d which is extremely stylish and has enough dynamic ability for its low price to give some European car makers sleepless nights.
On the subject of European car makers, a European Center of Automotive Research has revealed that Peugeot Citroen has lost on each car this year so far €789 (US$1009) and Fiat bled €142 (US$181) per vehicle, while VW earned €916 (US$1172) per car and Porsche a lucrative €16,826 (US$21,537).</p>
<p>I see that the Paceman Cooper has a two bar front grille, rather than the three bar on the Countryman Cooper.</p>