The zeal displayed by Europe, which invented the automobile and today strives to kill it with unfair regulations, leaves the visitor to a show like the one in Lyon perplexed. While new models, more or less loaded with batteries, abound on the stands, some pure thermals – or very few hybrids – are still putting up resistance. For sometimes very different reasons, oscillating between a nostalgia for the world before and the unknowns of an all-electric market that we are promised will be resplendent.
However, this is starting to show signs of weakness and the shutdowns of chains (Peugeot, Fiat, Volkswagen, Tesla, etc.), due to lack of sufficient orders, clearly show the hesitation of a new clientele to conquer beyond the followers of the first days. The frugality of the show resonates as if it echoes the sense of economy displayed by realistic consumers, determined to wear out their current cars to the breaking point.
Between them, the conservatives, and those who adopted electric very quickly and are already equipped, the innovators, there is a depression that cannot be hidden by the sales, although they are largely subsidized. No more than the price war which is taking hold and seeing Tesla’s prices, until then unassailable, melt away to resist increased competition. With the arbiter of purchasing decisions being an obscure rule of the game of a bonus which changes on January 1st. It hardly encourages conservative French people to launch into a technology that is too disruptive in their eyes. Here are the few major trends of this big gap seen in Lyon.
The Japanese brand, passionate about technology and mechanics if ever there was one, is taking a big step forward by announcing both the study of a 4-door coupe undoubtedly intended to replace the aging Mazda6 and an electric hybrid model. with range extender. The first is a large sedan which will be equipped with a 6-cylinder petrol engine to support the 6-cylinder hyper-efficient diesel engine already seen on the CX-60. An engine not very popular in Europe, in France in particular, where however its excellent performance should be taken into account.
The second car, the MX-30 e-SKYACTIV R-EV (phew!), is no less exciting by supporting in an original way the all-electric version launched in 2020. With permanent electric propulsion which physically drives the wheels, it has of a 17.8 kWh lithium-ion battery. This allows it an all-electric range of 85 km in urban WLTP and 110 km in mixed.
When the reserve runs low or power requirements arise, a more compact rotary engine (840cc) comes to the rescue. It runs at constant speed and uses the dynamos to recharge while driving. The 50 liter fuel tank will allow you to aim for 680 km of range without stopping without worrying. Obviously, it will be better to recharge for split week journeys in order to favor electric, but this rechargeable hybrid deserves not to be murdered by the future bonus standard. Marketing at the beginning of December.
It is undoubtedly one of the most spectacular new features, revealed to the public in Lyon, just after New York. Now the sports luxury branch of Chinese Geely, Lotus boldly shakes up the codes of Colin Chapman who, like Alpine, reasoned above all on the right weight. And sometimes even less as its drivers complained in competition. But this credo no longer applies with the batteries, which are enormous on this 4-door coupe, a rival to Porsche, Tesla and other Audis.
The Emeya is in fact the lowered version of the Eletre SUV, a 2.6-ton behemoth going against the grain of the historic Lotuses. With two motors, the backup of a 2-speed gearbox like on the Taycan and the e-Tron and a refined 102 kWh battery, it will be able to provide 918 hp and a monstrous torque of 984 Nm which, if used, will begin the range of 490 km. Produced in China, it will not be viewed favorably in France when it arrives in 2024. But outside our borders, the career opens up to it.
The brand with the rings quickly converted its passion for Diesel into an adoration of electricity under its questionable name e-tron. If Mercedes still maintains diesel on its new E-Class, this is no longer Audi’s obsession nor the vocation of this model dedicated to watts. The very well balanced lines with that hint of aggressiveness that is necessary at this level of range and the extra soul of the Sportback really leave no stone unturned. Neither is its price nor its standing, armed with 503 hp, a 114 kWh battery and a claimed range of 465 km.
A fan of the self-sufficient hybrid invented with the Prius, Toyota is cautiously approaching the upper stages of electrification, the first 100% battery-powered model having just arrived on the bZ4X already tested in these columns. However, we must not forget the best-seller that is the C-HR with its audacious design, to say the least. Sharp lines, tiny glass surfaces at the rear of the Coupé-SUV, Toyota is banking on originality, sportiness and two-tone tones.
The self-sufficient hybridization is continued in 140 and 190 hp, the latter available in 4-wheel drive with an electric motor generator on the rear axle. Added to this is a new 223 hp plug-in hybrid and software that detects entry into an ZFE using GPS to automatically switch to all-electric. Ingenious.
Among the Japanese, the poetic dimension is never far away. The name of this Subaru, “Sol” and “terra”, the sun and the earth, tends to prove it. Subaru, which suffered greatly with a very performance-oriented and four-wheel drive range, was unable to avoid the ravages of the penalty. It was necessary to bounce back in order, on new bases, to conquer the French market again and support the brand’s 70 dealers.
To make it quick, Subaru borrowed an excellent bZ4X base from its partner Toyota and adapted it, under a revised design, to Subaru tastes in terms of handling, steering and feel of all-wheel drive. There is still a 109 hp electric motor per axle, performance being close with 0 to 100 km/h in 6.9 seconds and a top speed limited to 160 km/h.
The 71.4 kWh lithium-ion battery gives it a maximum range of 465 km in the WLTP cycle. Subaru assures that 30 minutes of charging will be enough on a 150 kW terminal, to go from 0 to 80%. The string is a bit big, but basically all the cars are clones of a model that appeared before. Starting at 59,990 euros, the Solterra will be delivered at the end of the year with a guaranteed residence permit according to French rules.
Radical. A profound evolution of the supercar, the 720 S, the 750 S differs in many aspects, the front part having for example been redesigned. Same thing for the more sculpted sides and the rear equipped with a larger movable spoiler. Coupe or Spyder with a hardtop that disappears in 11 seconds, the 750 S still differs from its little sister the Artura in the fact that it is a pure thermal.
The ayatollahs of the rocker arm and Caruso-style bellowing exhausts will find what they’re looking for, the 750 S only has, in terms of battery, the one reserved for starting. The result is measured on the scale which is fixed at 1,321 kg and above all an exceptional power-to-weight ratio of 1.7 kg/hp. Its 750 hp and 800 Nm of torque deliver an exclusive mechanical score and a 0 to 100 in 2.8 s. It only has one real fault, its price of 376,660 euros, more compatible with the lifestyle and low taxes of the Emirates or Florida.