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The future of driving may be here sooner than you think - that's the message at the Paris Motor Show where out-of-this world concept cars reveal the plans of vehicle makers in the coming years.

Among the avant-garde designs is a car seat inspired by a spider's web, and a new breed of electric vehicles.

STORY-LINE:

This is French car maker Renault's new Trezor concept car.

It's an all-electric Grand Tourer concept, delivering zero to 62 miles per hour in under four seconds.

Giving clues to Renault's future electric strategy, Trezor's high-output all-electric power train boasts 260 kW or 350 horse power.

And there's no need to worry about doors - the one-piece clam shell roof opens like a lid.

Renault says this two-seater electric coupe embodies its new design philosophy, which may not be too distant from reality.

"The car will be electric, fully electric, that's clearly the destination because that's the only way to come to zero emissions in use and that's something the industry needs to do to comply and to solve the issues of pollution and CO2 questions," says Eric Feunteun from Renault.

"Second, it's going to be very connected. We've seen today we are paving the way, but we have more to come. And of course, autonomous. And all those three concepts, electric, autonomous and connected will clearly be linked together."

Daimler's new Mercedes-Benz Generation EQ concept car may look like a far-flung vision of the future, but its makers say it will soon become a reality.

With the design of a sporty SUV coupe, this EQ concept boasts two electric motors with a range of around 500 kilometres.

The 300 kW output allows acceleration to 100 kilometres an hour in under five seconds. Charging is optimised to give enough battery life for 100 kilometres in just five minutes.

Daimler's Dieter Zetsche says it's this kind of technology which will eventually convince drivers to make the jump from combustion engines to all-electric battery power.

"We will be able - based on the progress in technology - to offer that car with a range of more than 500 kilometres practical use with recharging time of less than half an hour and all of that at an affordable price it will be in the range of a good-equipped GLC of our current product line-up," he says.

"And we are convinced with all the additional features this product includes that we really have now the chance, just on a competitive basis, to convince customers to buy these cars versus the cars with combustion engine drive lines."

French brand Citroen is showing off this new CXperience concept car which reveals its ambitions in the upmarket sector.

The saloon with rear-hinged doors gives extra room in this citrus green interior. It's fitted with a plug-in hybrid engine in a bid to combine both performance and efficiency.

That means in the city it can be switched into all-electric mode with a range of around 60 kilometres. But when on the open road the internal combustion engines takes over to deliver 300 brake horse power performance.

"With this concept we want to show that Citroen is able to shave the codes, to overturn the established codes for instance in terms of design, you see that it's a really unique shape," says Richard Meyer from Citroen.

"What we want is that everybody in the street can say; 'Oh, I can see this vehicle, for sure it's a Citroen."

While most automakers here at the Paris Motor Show are looking under the bonnet and incorporating new battery-powered technology, Lexus - Toyota's luxury division - is looking in the cockpit.

The brand's new UX concept features web-like seating in the front.

It's inspired by this Kinetic Seat concept which works to move kinetically with the occupants weight and external forces, this - Lexus claims - helps stabilise head movement caused by the vehicle's motion.

The spider web-inspired design - like an actual spider web - helps disperse the load and closely fit the body shape, meaning a more comfortable experience for long drives.

"The spider web-like pattern like any other spider web in nature the radial strings are responsible to hold the body weight," explains Carlos Gonzalez from Toyota's vehicle engineering development division.

"The perpendicular loading versus the radial strings the closer loops we have in the net, they are responsible for distributing the pressure but also for transmitting the rotational torque that happens in the upper body by having this swing mechanism that we have in the sub frame."

The majority of concept cars at the Paris Motor Show are closer to reality than this Toyota FCV Plus fuel cell vehicle.

That's because car makers are looking into the not too distant future where emission regulations force their hand into producing more battery-powered and greener designs, says Jim Holder from UK-based motoring magazine 'Autocar'.

"Not all the concept cars are electric,but a lot of them are," he says. "The electric movement really is gathering pace, legislation demands that it does and the car makers are starting to see that customers finally are willing to busy electrified cars, whether that's through a hybrid car that combines traditional power train and electrification or full electric, there is a market there now and it's growing and all the manufacturers have to get in on that and sell these cars in order to meet their emissions targets."

The Paris Motor Show opens to the public 1-16 October.

Paris, France - 29 September 2016

1. Wide of Renault Trezor concept car unveil at the Paris Motor Show

2. Various of Renault Trezor concept car

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Feunteun, Head of electric program, Renault:

"The car will be electric, fully electric, that's clearly the destination because that's the only way to come to zero emissions in use and that's something the industry needs to do to comply and to solve the issues of pollution and CO2 questions. Second, it's going to be very connected. We've seen today we are paving the way, but we have more to come. And of course, autonomous. And all those three concepts, electric, autonomous and connected will clearly be linked together."

4. Various of Mercedes-Benz Generation EQ concept car

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Dieter Zetsche, CEO of Daimler AG:

"We will be able - based on the progress in technology - to offer that car with a range of more than 500 kilometres in practical use with recharging time of less than half an hour and all of that at an affordable price which will be in the range of a good-equipped GLC ( car model) of our current product line-up. And we are convinced with all the additional features this product includes that we really have now the chance, just on a competitive basis, to convince customers to buy these cars versus the cars with combustion engine drive lines."

6. Various of Citroen CXperience concept car

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Richard Meyer, Head of Production Planning and Future Products, Citroen:

"With this concept we want to show that Citroen is able to shave the codes, to overturn the established codes, for instance in terms of design, you see that it's a really unique shape. What we want is that everybody in the street can say; 'Oh, I can see this vehicle, for sure it's a Citroen."

8. Various of Lexus UX concept car

9. Various of webbing-style seats inside Lexus UX concept car

10. Various of Lexus Kinetic Seat concept with spider web-style design

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Carlos Gonzalez, Vehicle Engineering Development Division, Toyota:

"The spider web-like pattern like any other spider web in nature, the radial strings are responsible to hold the body weight, the perpendicular loading versus the radial strings. The closer loops that we have in the net, they are responsible for distributing the pressure but also for transmitting the rotational torque that happens in the upper body by having this swing mechanism that we have in the sub frame."

12. Various of Toyota FCV Plus concept car

13. SOUNDBITE (English) Jim Holder, Editorial Director, 'Autocar' Magazine:

"Not all of the concept cars are electric,but a lot of them are. The electric movement really is gathering pace, legislation demands that it does and the car makers are starting to see that customers finally are willing to busy electrified cars, whether that's through a hybrid car that combines traditional power train and electrification or full electric, there is a market there now and it's growing and all the manufacturers have to get in on that and sell these cars in order to meet their emissions targets."

14. Various of Mitsubishi GT-PHEV concept car

15. Wide of Paris Motor Show floor

LEAD IN:

The future of driving may be here sooner than you think - that's the message at the Paris Motor Show where out-of-this world concept cars reveal the plans of vehicle makers in the coming years.

Among the avant-garde designs is a car seat inspired by a spider's web, and a new breed of electric vehicles.

STORY-LINE:

This is French car maker Renault's new Trezor concept car.

It's an all-electric Grand Tourer concept, delivering zero to 62 miles per hour in under four seconds.

Giving clues to Renault's future electric strategy, Trezor's high-output all-electric power train boasts 260 kW or 350 horse power.

And there's no need to worry about doors - the one-piece clam shell roof opens like a lid.

Renault says this two-seater electric coupe embodies its new design philosophy, which may not be too distant from reality.

"The car will be electric, fully electric, that's clearly the destination because that's the only way to come to zero emissions in use and that's something the industry needs to do to comply and to solve the issues of pollution and CO2 questions," says Eric Feunteun from Renault.

"Second, it's going to be very connected. We've seen today we are paving the way, but we have more to come. And of course, autonomous. And all those three concepts, electric, autonomous and connected will clearly be linked together."

Daimler's new Mercedes-Benz Generation EQ concept car may look like a far-flung vision of the future, but its makers say it will soon become a reality.

With the design of a sporty SUV coupe, this EQ concept boasts two electric motors with a range of around 500 kilometres.

The 300 kW output allows acceleration to 100 kilometres an hour in under five seconds. Charging is optimised to give enough battery life for 100 kilometres in just five minutes.

Daimler's Dieter Zetsche says it's this kind of technology which will eventually convince drivers to make the jump from combustion engines to all-electric battery power.

"We will be able - based on the progress in technology - to offer that car with a range of more than 500 kilometres practical use with recharging time of less than half an hour and all of that at an affordable price it will be in the range of a good-equipped GLC of our current product line-up," he says.

"And we are convinced with all the additional features this product includes that we really have now the chance, just on a competitive basis, to convince customers to buy these cars versus the cars with combustion engine drive lines."

French brand Citroen is showing off this new CXperience concept car which reveals its ambitions in the upmarket sector.

The saloon with rear-hinged doors gives extra room in this citrus green interior. It's fitted with a plug-in hybrid engine in a bid to combine both performance and efficiency.

That means in the city it can be switched into all-electric mode with a range of around 60 kilometres. But when on the open road the internal combustion engines takes over to deliver 300 brake horse power performance.

"With this concept we want to show that Citroen is able to shave the codes, to overturn the established codes for instance in terms of design, you see that it's a really unique shape," says Richard Meyer from Citroen.

"What we want is that everybody in the street can say; 'Oh, I can see this vehicle, for sure it's a Citroen."

While most automakers here at the Paris Motor Show are looking under the bonnet and incorporating new battery-powered technology, Lexus - Toyota's luxury division - is looking in the cockpit.

The brand's new UX concept features web-like seating in the front.

It's inspired by this Kinetic Seat concept which works to move kinetically with the occupants weight and external forces, this - Lexus claims - helps stabilise head movement caused by the vehicle's motion.

The spider web-inspired design - like an actual spider web - helps disperse the load and closely fit the body shape, meaning a more comfortable experience for long drives.

"The spider web-like pattern like any other spider web in nature the radial strings are responsible to hold the body weight," explains Carlos Gonzalez from Toyota's vehicle engineering development division.

"The perpendicular loading versus the radial strings the closer loops we have in the net, they are responsible for distributing the pressure but also for transmitting the rotational torque that happens in the upper body by having this swing mechanism that we have in the sub frame."

The majority of concept cars at the Paris Motor Show are closer to reality than this Toyota FCV Plus fuel cell vehicle.

That's because car makers are looking into the not too distant future where emission regulations force their hand into producing more battery-powered and greener designs, says Jim Holder from UK-based motoring magazine 'Autocar'.

"Not all the concept cars are electric,but a lot of them are," he says. "The electric movement really is gathering pace, legislation demands that it does and the car makers are starting to see that customers finally are willing to busy electrified cars, whether that's through a hybrid car that combines traditional power train and electrification or full electric, there is a market there now and it's growing and all the manufacturers have to get in on that and sell these cars in order to meet their emissions targets."

The Paris Motor Show opens to the public 1-16 October.

Paris, France - 29 September 2016

1. Wide of Renault Trezor concept car unveil at the Paris Motor Show

2. Various of Renault Trezor concept car

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Feunteun, Head of electric program, Renault:

"The car will be electric, fully electric, that's clearly the destination because that's the only way to come to zero emissions in use and that's something the industry needs to do to comply and to solve the issues of pollution and CO2 questions. Second, it's going to be very connected. We've seen today we are paving the way, but we have more to come. And of course, autonomous. And all those three concepts, electric, autonomous and connected will clearly be linked together."

4. Various of Mercedes-Benz Generation EQ concept car

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Dieter Zetsche, CEO of Daimler AG:

"We will be able - based on the progress in technology - to offer that car with a range of more than 500 kilometres in practical use with recharging time of less than half an hour and all of that at an affordable price which will be in the range of a good-equipped GLC ( car model) of our current product line-up. And we are convinced with all the additional features this product includes that we really have now the chance, just on a competitive basis, to convince customers to buy these cars versus the cars with combustion engine drive lines."

6. Various of Citroen CXperience concept car

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Richard Meyer, Head of Production Planning and Future Products, Citroen:

"With this concept we want to show that Citroen is able to shave the codes, to overturn the established codes, for instance in terms of design, you see that it's a really unique shape. What we want is that everybody in the street can say; 'Oh, I can see this vehicle, for sure it's a Citroen."

8. Various of Lexus UX concept car

9. Various of webbing-style seats inside Lexus UX concept car

10. Various of Lexus Kinetic Seat concept with spider web-style design

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Carlos Gonzalez, Vehicle Engineering Development Division, Toyota:

"The spider web-like pattern like any other spider web in nature, the radial strings are responsible to hold the body weight, the perpendicular loading versus the radial strings. The closer loops that we have in the net, they are responsible for distributing the pressure but also for transmitting the rotational torque that happens in the upper body by having this swing mechanism that we have in the sub frame."

12. Various of Toyota FCV Plus concept car

13. SOUNDBITE (English) Jim Holder, Editorial Director, 'Autocar' Magazine:

"Not all of the concept cars are electric,but a lot of them are. The electric movement really is gathering pace, legislation demands that it does and the car makers are starting to see that customers finally are willing to busy electrified cars, whether that's through a hybrid car that combines traditional power train and electrification or full electric, there is a market there now and it's growing and all the manufacturers have to get in on that and sell these cars in order to meet their emissions targets."

14. Various of Mitsubishi GT-PHEV concept car

15. Wide of Paris Motor Show floor