By Andrew Tsaousis, The European car market may be in trouble because of the financial crisis that’s been dragging on for a long time now, but carmakers are gearing up to display their latest models in the City of Light. From September 29 until October 14, the Paris Expo at the Porte de Versailles will host some of this year’s most important world premieres. The French automakers have chosen the 2012 Paris Auto Show to launch models like the all-new Renault Clio, the Peugeot 208 GTi and the Citroen DS3 Cabrio. Ford will also have a strong presence with a raft of new models like the new Mondeo and no less than three SUVs, while Jaguar will display the production version of its long-awaited F-Type, Mazda the impressively styled 6 in saloon and station wagon shapes, and Cadillac its 3-Series fighter, the ATS. Compact hatchbacks are Europe's second most popular segment accounting for nearly 3 million units in 2011. Paris will be the place where some of the most important contenders in the C-segment will be launched. The best-selling model of 2011, the VW Golf, may look like an updated version of its predecessor from the outside, but under the skin, it’s brand-new as it’s based on the group’s all-new MQB modular platform. The new Leon uses the same architecture, though Seat has changed the bodywork dramatically in an effort to ramp up sales. Toyota, on the other hand, has done the exact opposite from VW for its second-generation Auris, keeping essentially the same platform but wrapping it up in a much sharper bodywork and Opel has merely freshened up the Astra range, having concentrated on launching the Fiat 500-rivalling Adam city car instead. Every world-class auto show worthy of its name has its fair share of concepts and Paris, won’t be an exception. McLaren will finally display the successor to the iconic F1 after 20 years, Smart will preview the styling of its new models with the ForStars CUV and Peugeot will entice visitors with the Onyx, a futuristic supercar that in all likelihood will remain just a chance for its designers to sharpen their pencils on. Carscoop’s preliminary guide to the 2012 Mondial de l’Automobile follows the break and will be constantly updated, so stay tuned! Source: Carscoop
