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Leith Cars Blog

Hybrid Hype: The 2014 Paris Auto Show

Hi. How are you doing this Thursday? That’s great to hear, really great. We wanted to make you aware of some changes going forward in the Leith Cars Blog experience. We’re changing up our formula just a little bit in order to concentrate the quality of our posts here.

Rather than spreading out news and information from the Leith family across five columns, we’ll be dialing back and posting a weekly post. This post might follow the same format as one of our old columns. It might be about general trends and happenings in the auto industry. It could be something just for fun. You’ll have to keep following us to find out.

We will also continue to share our Best in Class post of the week, bringing you the best post from the whole pool of Leith blogs every Friday. That makes two posts each week on Leith Cars, keeping you up to date on everything you need to know.

To get things started right away, we’re off to the city of lights for a roundup of all the exciting reveals at the 2014 Paris Motor Show. Here’s what we’ve seen so far from some of our major brands.

Audi

Ingolstadt is present in full force with photographers thronging to the three models they’ve brought to Paris. First, there’s the 2016 Audi TTS Roadster, dropping the top on the third generation TT revealed earlier this year. The folding fabric roof is said to retract quicker and quieter than its predecessor. It will be offered with the same powertrains as the coupe.

Second, the Audi TT Sportback Concept shows us another possible tributary in the river of TTs that have been shown this year. While Audi is on record saying a TT crossover like the one shown in Beijing is more likely to go into production, it’s noticeable just how road-ready this four-door model already looks.

Finally, the R8 is a veteran model, but the Audi R8 LMX is the latest and most powerful revision to one of the world’s most recognizable super cars. Boasting 562 horsepower and laser headlights, this Ara Blue stunner is in rare form.

Honda

The new 2015 CR-V is in Paris, but what has everyone talking about Honda is its Civic Type R Concept. In an aggressive stance meant to whip around the track, this hot hatch gets its heat from a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four that makes 276 horsepower. Honda also says it’s equipped with a “steer axis” system that we’re hoping to learn more about at a later date. Click here to see more pictures.

Porsche

No surprises here, the 2015 Porsche Cayenne S E-Hybrid is on display. With the signature electric green calipers that typify Porsche’s hybrid line, this is their third plug-in hybrid model. At this rate, and with the ever stricter emissions standards of the EU, there could be an S E-Hybrid for every Porsche model. This one is packing a 3.0-liter V6 and a 95-horsepower electric motor underneath, paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. You can see more pictures here.

Toyota

Continuing its tradition of bold and dare-we-say-it funky concept cars, Toyota has brought this CH-R concept to Paris. According to an official statement, it sits on a new platform, uses a hybrid powertrain, and represents “a type of crossover vehicle Toyota would like to bring to market.” We like the wheels. What do you think?

Volkswagen

Just like Honda, VW is showing a practical crossover in the form of the Golf Alltrack, an all-wheel drive model based on the SportWagen. However, all of the VW hype is coming from the XL Sport, a performance version of the ultra-fuel efficient XL1. Not only does it weigh a mere 1962 pounds, it also uses the same engine as the Ducatti 1199 Superleggera. That’s a 197-horsepower 11,000-rpm two-cylinder, for the record. Also, it looks freaking sweet from just about every angle. Take a closer look.

Lamborghini

Ok, so this doesn’t actually have anything to do with our auto group, but… Well, we don’t really see the need to make excuses. There’s an 897-horsepower hybrid Lamborghini out there in the world, and goodness gracious does it look pretty. It’s called the Asterion, and we recommend you take a few minutes to get acquainted with it via this meager digital portal.

The 2014 Paris Auto Show is just getting started, and we recommend you follow any and all of our dealerships on social media to keep up with the latest news. Remember: Leith Cars is the blog you can trust.