2012 Mondial de l'Automobile (Paris)

Despite the dire economic situation in Europe, the automotive companies seem unconcerned. At the 2012 Mondial de l'Automobile, or Paris Motor Show, new cars and concepts were rolled out by every major automaker. Renault unveiled the new Clio compact, while domestic rival PSA Peugeot Citroen showed the Citroen DS9 luxury sedan and Peugeot 208 GTI. BMW revealed its first front-drive crossover with the Active Tourer. Audi brought the new S3, and parent company VW came with the latest Golf and GTI hatchbacks. Opel's new Adam subcompact takes on the Fiat 500 and Mini. Jaguar showed up with the long-awaited F-Type convertible, and corporate sibling Land Rover had the new Range Rover SUV for its international premiere. The new Auris hybrid station wagon expands Toyota's lineup of fuel-efficient car. Lexus had a new LF-CC luxury coupe concept that could fill a hole in its product range. Volvo revealed the V40 hatchback and an R-Design sport variant. Kia's new Carens is a practical family vehicle for the European market. Chevrolet brought the compact Trax crossover. The long list of new models from nearly every manufacturer provides convincing evidence that although car sales are depressed, European auto manufacturers are confident that the market will recover.