The Paris Motor Show (Paris Salon) was held for seven days from October 17, 2022. In addition to its biennial schedule, it was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, making this its first occurrence in four years. Akio Oya, a journalist based in Italy, reports.

This time, large-scale exhibits from major manufacturers were limited to brands within the Renault Group (Renault, Dacia, Alpine, and the mobility service Mobilize) and some brands from the Stellantis Group (Peugeot, DS, Jeep). Meanwhile, other European, Japanese, and Korean manufacturers uniformly decided not to participate.

In the past, the Paris Motor Show was sometimes marred by incidents where laid-off auto factory workers stormed the booths. This time, a different kind of manifestation occurred just before the show. Employees at oil refineries across France went on strike demanding wage increases. Gas stations were forced to close, and long queues formed at the few that managed to stay open. Consequently, the most frequently heard keyword on television and radio news during the show was "pénurie," the French word for shortage.

Beyond these recent events, the environment surrounding automobiles in France has been harsh in recent years. It's even pessimistic. In major cities like Paris, weekday daytime access for older vehicles, particularly diesel ones, is being progressively restricted under the guise of environmental protection policies. In this context, the Citroën 2CV, as seen in postcards, and even the Citroën BX and Peugeot 205 from the 1980s, have long since disappeared from the daily urban landscape.

Furthermore, Mayor Anne Hidalgo, who has led the Paris city government for two terms since 2014, aims to curb the use of private cars altogether. For example, parking fines, which were a maximum of 50 euros depending on the area in 2018, have been increased to 75 euros.

Amidst this backdrop, the vehicles exhibited at this year's Paris Motor Show were primarily electric or hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.

One of the stars of the show, the Alpine Alpenglow Concept, is a hydrogen-powered vehicle with two 700-bar tanks.

President Macron visited on press day. He highly praised the acceleration of battery electric vehicle (BEV) production by domestic automakers in France. In a radio appearance a few days before the show's opening, he also hinted at an increase in subsidies for BEV purchases.

For reference, Renault and Stellantis BEVs are performing well in the French market. In sales figures for January-August 2022, the top spot was taken by the Peugeot e-208 with 11,979 units sold, followed by the Fiat 500e, and third was the Dacia Spring, a sub-brand of Renault. The Renault Zoe and Renault Twingo followed, with the Tesla Model 3, popular in other European countries, only appearing in sixth place.

Another notable trend at this show was the rise of emerging brands. China's BYD, and Great Wall Motor's premium brands ORA and WEY, occupied booths as impressive as, or even more so than, the French brands, displaying their electric vehicles. Vietnam's VinFast, which made its global debut at the Paris show in 2018, also announced its European expansion with a lineup of BEVs.

The investment these young brands are making in car design is tremendous. For example, BYD's global design center, completed in Shenzhen in 2019, employs 400 people, including external collaborators, and is equipped to complete a full-scale clay model in just five days, with design revisions typically handled within 24 hours, a process that usually takes one to two weeks.

The center is led by Wolfgang Egger, who spearheaded the design development of the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione. Vietnam's VinFast is collaborating with the renowned coachbuilder Pininfarina, as well as Torino Design, headed by Roberto Piatti, a former Bertone designer.