25 September 2002: Though French carmakers are naturally the headliners at the biennial Paris Motor Show, it is also a magnet for practically every other maker to show off their latest stuff. IrishCar.Com will be reporting directly from the press days between now and the weekend.

This year, Renault is showing its new Megane (above) and Espace, Peugeot its 307 CC and tiny Sesame concept and Citroen its super-versatile C3 Pluriel.

In a quick roundup of the highlights to be expected, Alfa Romeo will have its147 GTA (above) with the same 250-hp, 3.2-liter V-6 unveiled a year go on the 156 GTA.

Aston Martin will be gauging public response to pictures of the DB7 Zagato to decide whether to make it. An aluminum body on a shortened DB7 Vantage Volante wheelbase and powered by a 6.0-liter V-12.

Audi are revealing their A8 sedan and S4, the performance version of the A4.

Bentley’s new product is the GT Coupe, powered by Volkswagen's twin-turbo, 550-hp W-12, and BMW is unveiling its Z4 roadster and perhaps the sedan version of its future 1 series.

Daewoo will be showing the supermini Kalos, Evanda and J-200 (the Nubira replacement), while at the other end of the ‘wow’ scale Ferrari will have its Enzo Ferrari supercar.

Fiat showcases its Stilo wagon against the background of an expected an operating loss in the range of $1.4 billion for the year.

Ford shows its 3-door Fiesta, along with a Durashift auto-shift manual transmission for the car. A new concept will be the Focus C-Max, a compact MPV with flexible seating configuration for five and based on the next Focus platform.

Honda will have the new Accord and a Civic Hybrid saloon. Jaguar’s main attraction is the new aluminium XJ sedan (above), the seventh generation of Jaguar's range-topper.

Lexus will add a IS200 SportCross to the IS range. The Maybach, the superluxury limousine from Mercedes-Benz also makes its official debut.

Mazda will highlight its Mazda2 replacement for the Demio, on the Ford Fiesta and Fusion platform, and also will show a 280-hp version of the Mazda6.

Mercedes-Benz will have an E-class wagon along with S class and CL coupe facelifts.

Mitsubishi’s 2003 Pajero Evolution MRP10 shows how Mitsubishi wants to tackle the next Paris-Dakar rally. Nissan will publicly release its latest Micra and show a cabrio-coupe concept of the same car.

Opel has a very extensive range of new metal, including the Meriva small MPV (above), the Signum sport wagon, Combo Tour, and Astra OPC "Linea Rosso" convertible. A freshened Corsa supermini also will be shown. The Eco-Speedster diesel sports car and GM's Hy-Wire fuel-cell vehicle will also be there.

Pininfarina will share its Ford StreetKa with the Ford stand, and the Enzo Ferrari

Porsche’s Cayenne SUV will share space with the Porsche GT. SEAT unveils its Cordoba saloon, due early 2003.

Smart comes out of the kinky city car confinement to show its sexy Roadster and Roadster-Coupe, and at another extreme, Toyota’s big deal is NOT the next Avensis, but the new Land Cruiser 90.

VW will have its first SUV, the Toureg, on a jointly developed platform with the Porsche Cayenne. Volvo shows the S60R sport sedan and V70R sport wagon.

See you there!