The first day of the Paris Motor Show is over, and there were enough sleek sports cars, wild concepts and significant production-model debuts to push thoughts of the struggling European auto market to the background, at least temporarily. In case you weren't able to catch all of the automotive action, we've compiled a list of today's introductions complete with live photos from the show floor. Don't forget to check back tomorrow for the second round of debuts!
Highlights:
Jaguar's first true sports car in ages, the F-Type impresses with a trio of potent supercharged motors, lightweight aluminum construction and a driver-focused cabin. Oh, and did we mention that it's gorgeous?
The Active Tourer previews what some Bimmer fans will intrepret as a sign of the impending apocalypse - a new range of front-wheel-drive BMW vehicles. The concept's platform will underpin an upcoming European-only compact MPV, and it's also expected to form the basis of a future U.S.-market model.
The new Range Rover gains an Evoque-inspired face and a larger interior, but perhaps more important is what the iconic luxury SUV has lost: roughly 700 pounds (!) of curb weight. Expect fuel economy, acceleration and handling all to improve thanks to the significant reduction in mass.
Riding on the new MQB modular architecture that's set to underpin a vast number of Volkswagen Group models, the seventh-generation Golf is about 200 pounds lighter than its predecessor and approaching Audi levels of luxury inside. Its understated yet handsome look doesn't represent much of a departure from its predecessor, but that's definitely intentional: Volkswagen knows better than to mess with the success of one of the world's best-selling models.
Hoping to transform the Mazda6 from an also-ran into one of the top players in the highly competitive midsize sedan segment, Mazda has redesigned the four-door around its fuel-efficiency SkyActiv technology philosophy and added a dose of its fetching new KODO design language. We're just hoping that it drives like the excellent first-generation model.
Complete list of introductions:
2013 Lamborghini Gallardo LP 560-4/Edizione Technica
Mercedes SLS AMG Electric Drive
