Gallic flair on four wheels

Electric power dominated the news in the French capital, says

PEUGEOT 508SW On sale: January Price: est from £30,000

WE’RE big fans of the elegant new Peugeot 508 hatchback and so the unveiling of this new SW estate is pushing at an open door for us.

This SW continues on the stylish lines of its sister hatch with a lovely 3D-style light strip across the tailgate and retro oversized Peugeot lettering.

Inside is the French firm’s gorgeous i-cockpit interior while behind the passengers is a 530-litre boot that becomes 1,780 litres with the rear seats lowered.

The SW range will be expanded in late 2019 by two plug-in hybrid versions with two- or four-wheel drive which will have the ability to travel up to 30 miles on a full charge and boast 49g/km emissions. Crucially, too, they will be able to be recharged in less than two hours.

KIA PROCEED On sale: January Price: est from £23,000

KIA’S sportier version of its Ceed has taken a different direction with this latest generation. And just as the hatchback version of the Ceed is more fun to drive than ever, so this Proceed model has morphed from a three-door into this shooting-brake sporting estate.

The Proceed will get the same full range of engines as the Ceed, along with the 1.6-litre turbo engine from the GT. Plus, with a 594-litre boot, it’s a great halfway house between the hatch and full-on SW estate.

AUDI E-TRON 55 On sale: spring Price: est from £70,805

WITH a name that has a rather awkward translation in French, the Paris Show perhaps wasn’t the best choice for the world debut of the new all-electric Audi E-Tron.

The German firm was spared any sniggers though and the E-Tron looked surprisingly conventional with its styling, despite its 95kWh battery and 248-mile range suggesting that it was anything but. We love the light bar running across the tailgate and there’s plenty of space for passengers, even if the boot is a little shallow.