Audi A1 Sportback Concept

OK, here's the deal with the Audi A1 Sportback Concept. It replaces the Audi A2 – which was never sold here – and is the first real competitor to rival BMW's Mini Cooper. How? It boasts good looks, a snorty 4-cylinder under the hood, front-wheel drive and something the Mini Cooper doesn't have: five doors. Couple them with a reasonably-sized rear seat, and you have a distinct advantage over the Mini. The Audi A1 Sportback Concept also has a more aggressive look that dumps Mini cuteness for more of a pit bull growl.

Photo Credit: Greg Brown

2009 Audi RS6

Think of a nice, pleasant family-sized luxury car. Now give it enough power to light Sarah Palin's hometown. That's the 2009 Audi RS6 in a nutshell. This all-wheel-drive super-sedan boasts a V-10 engine that's boosted by twin turbochargers for a total of 580 horsepower. Thing is, it doesn't really look the part, since it differs only subtly from the less-insane versions of the Audi A6 upon which it is based. If you have a thirst for power, handling and speed – and have a big pile of money laying around – it's worth it.

Photo Credit: Audi

2009 Audi S4

To fully understand the 2009 Audi S4, simply read what we said about the 2009 Audi RS6 and reduce it all by about 25 percent. The car is smaller, the engine is smaller, and the power output is smaller. Like the RS6, the 2009 Audi S4 is based on the less nutso Audi A4, a car we have been gushing over for a little while now. OK, so it's not as quick as an RS6, but with a supercharged V-6 engine, the 2009 Audi S4 promises to be plenty quick, and thanks to an engine that's smaller than its peers, even slightly responsible.

Photo Credit: Audi

2008 Bentley Arnage Final Series

In some ways, the Bentley Arnage is the last real Bentley, the last car designed before Volkswagen took over the brand. Since this is the last hurrah for this car, the 2008 Bentley Arnage Final Series is packed to the gunwales with everything you could expect: a small herd of cows covers the interior; there's enough power just from the audio system to power a Toyota Prius; huge power and torque figures. If you get insulted if people don't kiss your ring when they meet you, you're probably a good candidate to be one of the 150 lucky (and rich) souls to get a 2008 Bentley Arnage Final Series.

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BMW Concept X1

The BMW Concept X1 is a very thinly disguised version of the upcoming production BMW X1. Slotting in below the BMW X3, the X1 is designed to appeal to the same people who like the BMW 1 Series, but need a little more cargo or passenger room. It's also weird looking, like some sort of mishmash of a shrunken X5 and the aforementioned 1 Series. BMW loves the crossover genre, but with the X1 and the recently released X6, we're not so sure we share the affair.

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2009 BMW 7 Series Active Hybrid

The 2009 BMW 7 Series Active Hybrid is a direct response to the Lexus LS 600h L hybrid that was introduced a couple of years ago. It boasts a 400-horsepower V-8 coupled with a small electric motor. Thing is, while the Lexus is a full hybrid – meaning it can move under electric-power only – the BMW 7 Series Active Hybrid is only a mild hybrid. It shuts its engine off at a stop, but it can't move under electric power only. Considering that BMW could have used the same two-mode hybrid it jointly developed with GM, we're disappointed.

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2010 Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon

Cadillac knocked it out of the park with the current-generation CTS sedan, and it's following up with a slew of cars based on the platform. The first was the CTS-V we reviewed recently (loved it), and next out of the box is the 2010 Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon. It builds on the already wonderful CTS – literally – by adding a full wagon body. Wagons are much hotter in Europe than in the U.S., which explains the Paris debut, but we can see that changing if wagons look more like this than a Country Squire.

Photo Credit: Greg Brown

2011 Chevrolet Cruze

Up is down, black is white, day is night, and Chevy is poised to introduce a class-leading small car. The 2011 Chevrolet Cruze won't go on sale in the U.S. for a while, much too long as far as we're concerned, because we want it now. The exterior is striking, with interesting styling elements that we're slowly coming to expect from Chevy, thanks to the Malibu and Traverse. But it's the interior that really impresses, with a clean and smoothly flowing center stack flanked with fabric swaths that match those on the seats. Did we just lust for the compact Chevy Cruze? Next thing you know, Democrats will be charged with saving the economy!

Photo Credit: Greg Brown

2011 Chevrolet Volt

The 2011 Chevy Volt has been the biggest headline grabber of late, but in case you've been to busy watching your AIG stock nosedive, here's a refresher. The Chevy Volt is a new generation of plug-in hybrids that run strictly on electricity. The Volt's gasoline engine takes over after about 40 miles of pure electric power, recharging the batteries and providing electricity to keep the Volt moving. Plug your Chevy Volt in overnight, keep your round-trip commute under 40 miles, and you'll rarely hear the little gasoline powerplant run. Plus, it looks neat, has an iPod-inspired interior, and will make Toyota Prius drivers feel like gross polluters.

Photo Credit: Greg Brown

Honda Insight Concept

Honda was actually the first carmaker to bring a production hybrid to market, a factoid largely forgotten in Prius-mania. The company is eager to remind us all however, and is introducing the Honda Insight Concept as a preview to a future Honda Insight that will be the Honda's hybrid-only offering. Yes, it looks like a Toyota Prius, but it's actually smaller and most importantly, will be significantly less expensive when the production version goes on sale sometime next year -- figure around $18,500 to start. Don't let the "concept" part of the name fool you: Honda lightly disguises production cars as concepts a few months before the official unveiling.

Photo Credit: Honda

Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid Concept

Hybrids, hybrids everywhere! Considering the alliteration, we're surprised we haven't seen a Hyundai hybrid sooner. But enough of that: The Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid Concept is exactly what it sounds like, a hybrid version of the company's hot-selling Santa Fe crossover SUV. From the outside Santa Fe hybrid doesn't look much different, but the hybrid powertrain uses a 2.4-liter 4-cylinder coupled to an electric motor and lithium polymer battery pack to get around 38 mpg. That's not too shabby by anybody's estimate.

Photo Credit: Greg Brown

2010 Kia Soul

Kia is sort of like lima beans: good for you, but not particularly tasty. That will change next year when the 2010 Kia Soul goes on sale. This little crossover-wagon-box-on-wheels looks cool inside and out, with lots of neat styling details and a desirability factor that one could never have guessed would come from the Korean manufacturer. The Kia Soul has plenty of functionality thanks to its boxy shape, but it's not going to be a car you buy because you're short on cash, but because you want to impress your friends. With a Kia. Let that sink in for a while.

Photo Credit: Kia

Kia Soul Hybrid Concept

Take everything we just said about the 2010 Kia Soul and add in environmental responsibility. There you have it, the Kia Soul Hybrid Concept. The 2010 Kia Soul is already a desirable car, and the hybrid version would make it that much more appealing to our green-minded friends. Concept shmoncept...build this thing, Kia.

Photo Credit: Kia

Lamborghini Estoque Concept

Impress your friends with this tidbit: The Lamborghini Estoque Concept is not the first Lamborghini with four doors. That honor goes to the 80s-era Lamborghini LM002, which was a big, powerful SUV. The Estoque Concept, however, is a completely different animal designed as a direct answer to the Porsche Panamera sedan and Aston Martin Rapide sedan, not to mention cross-town rival Maserati's Quattroporte sedan. Will it be built? Depends on the economy and how well the Panamera and Rapide do, but we wouldn't be too surprised to see a production version someday.

Photo Credit: Greg Brown

2010 Lexus IS 250C Convertible

Somebody forgot to tell Lexus that its cars are supposed to be boring ripoffs of German luxury sedans. The 2010 Lexus IS 250C Convertible is a direct answer to the BMW 3 Series and Mercedes CLK convertibles, and a darned fine looking car in its own right. The hardtop convertible folds down in 20 seconds, which Lexus says is the quickest of any hardtop convertible, and the car looks great top up or down. Lexus lust? Yeah, it could happen.

Photo Credit: Lexus

Mazda Kiyora Concept

Mazda has been teasing us with very cool looking concepts for the past year, and we wish they'd hurry up and build one already. The latest is the Mazda Kiyora, a small hatchback that bases its lines on how water flows over objects. How cool is that? Very, we think, and furthermore we think that if more small compacts looked like the Mazda Kiyora, they'd go down a lot smoother when gas money is tight.

Photo Credit: Greg Brown

Mercedes-Benz ConceptFascination

The Mercedes ConceptFascination does two things. First, it reintroduces the idea of a "shooting brake," which is a fancy way of saying "two-door wagon." Second, it previews what the next Mercedes E-Class sedan will look like, especially from the front. The rest of the car is mostly pie-in-the-sky rich-guy lifestyle stuff: A built-in humidor, matching champagne glasses, a glass table that rises out of the floor, all that stuff. However, we have to admit that we dig this sort of thing, and the Mercedes ConceptFascination is, well, pretty fascinating.

Photo Credit: Mercedes-Benz

2009 Mercedes-Benz S400 BlueHybrid

The Mercedes-Benz S400 BlueHybrid is basically the Mercedes version of the 2009 BMW 7 Series Active Hybrid we mentioned earlier. It uses a V-6 engine coupled with an electric motor and battery pack, so ostensibly it should get better mileage. However, like the 7 Series hybrid, it doesn't have the ability to power itself on pure electricity, and like the 7 Series hybrid, the Mercedes S400 hybrid gives the ultimate rich-guy green credentials to the Lexus LS 600h L owners.

Photo Credit: Greg Brown

Mini Crossover Concept

BMW has gone crossover crazy in the past few years, with the X6, X5 , X3 and soon, the BMW X1 all debuting. BMW's Mini brand is getting into the act as well with the Mini Crossover Concept. We have to say, we're not thrilled with the looks of the little crossover, although we do like the fact that it has four regular doors on it. Will it sell when the production Mini Crossover debuts? Probably. Mini is a phenomenon, and one strange looking little crossover won't change that.

Photo Credit: Greg Brown

2009 Mitsubishi Colt

If Mitsubishi doesn't bring the Colt to the U.S. market, it deserves to go out of business in this country. Seriously. The small compact market could use a car like the 2009 Mitsubishi Colt. It looks cool, like a shrunken Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution. It has good looks inside, too. And it boasts potential fuel economy numbers that are right up there with cars like the Toyota Yaris (as attractive as it sounds) and with a dash of style that is rare in the smallest-car segment. So, ya hear us, Mitsubishi? Bring us the Colt.

Photo Credit: Greg Brown

2009 Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback

We're not 100 percent certain that the Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback will wind up in the U.S. However, like the Mitsubishi Colt, it really should. The Lancer's primary rival is the Subaru Impreza, which comes in sedan and hatchback. We wonder how many people wandered into a Mitsubishi dealership and walked out without a car because they wanted a hatchback. Maybe not too many, but Mitsubishi's in trouble, and it needs to sell every car it can. The 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback may just be an ace in the hole.

Photo Credit: Greg Brown

Nissan Nuvu Concept

There are two ways to think about the Nissan Nuvu Concept. The first is as a testbed for technology, which of course it is: There is an electric powertrain using lithium polymer batteries somewhere inside, something we'll see in production when Nissan starts selling its electric car in a couple of years. Yet there's the inescapable way it actually looks, which is downright weird. The curve of the roof, strange color, oversized headlights and downright laughable interior treatment make us shake our heads. Neat tech stuff though.

Photo Credit: Greg Brown

2009 Vauxhall Insignia Tourer

Vauxhall is British for Opel, which these days is German for Saturn. The Vauxhall Insignia Tourer is what we may see in a couple years as the Saturn Aura wagon, and like many Europe-to-America cars, we wish the timeline were accelerated. This is a darn fine looking car, even in wagon form, and Saturn dealers are probably salivating at the chance to rub this (as well as the Insignia sedan) in the noses of a few Honda Accord and Toyota Camry drivers. So hurry it up, General Motors!

Photo Credit: Vauxhall

2009 Porsche Cayenne S Transsyberia

We will admit that, as a group of automotive enthusiasts, we never quite warmed up to the Porsche Cayenne. A Porsche SUV? It goes against everything we love about the sports car maker. Yet there's something about the 2009 Porsche Cayenne S Transsyberia that we dig. Maybe it's the light bar on top. Maybe it's the skid plates underneath. Maybe because it commemorates the fact that, even though it rarely happens, the Cayenne is actually a pretty capable off roader. If you feel like us, get in line fast, because there will only be 600 Porsche Cayenne S Transsyberia editions available.

Photo Credit: Greg Brown

Saab 9-X Air Concept

The Saab 9-X Air Concept is a convertible version of the Saab 9-X Concept that appeared on the show circuit last year. Cutting the roof off does a couple of things. First, it makes the car look significantly better, with a low windshield combining with a high beltline to make the Air look very cool. Second, it allows us to see the interior, which is seriously nice thanks to its LED lighting and unique instrument readouts. This is supposed to be a look at Saab's future styling, and although the interior treatment is a little over the top, we can see something like this coming out of Saab factories someday soon.

Photo Credit: Saab

2009 Volkswagen Golf

For some reason, Volkswagen wants to call the VW Golf hatchback a VW Rabbit in the U.S. We don't really understand why, but it's their car and they can do whatever they want. What we do care about is getting the new 2009 VW Golf – or Rabbit or Hare or Hasenpfeffer – over to the U.S. as soon as possible. It looks good, with sleeker headlights, slimmer taillights and a more aggressive appearance that dumps the huge grille of the current VW Rabbit. The interior looks nice too. But, as usual, we wait for another year or so.

Photo Credit: Volkswagen

2010 Volkswagen GTI

The Volkswagen GTI is legendary among driver types for its low price and fun-to-drive nature. The 2010 VW GTI will, by the looks of things, continue that tradition. We dig the wide-spaced fog lamps and tailpipes that give the VW GTI a stable look. We also like the 210-hp turbocharged 4-cylinder engine under the hood and the seven-speed dual-clutch automatic it's connected to.

Photo Credit: Greg Brown

More from the Paris Auto Show

Paris was first called the city of love by King Balthazar VI of Czechoslovakia after he found his third, fourth, and fifth wives there on the same trip. If Balthazar was alive today, he'd probably want to take home every vehicle on our Top 10 Sexiest Cars at the 2008 Paris Auto Showlist too.