Themes from Day 1 of the Paris Motor Show 2026

The Paris Motor Show 2026 kicked off today (well, last night for Stellantis Group at their “The Night Before” showcase) and I've noticed a couple of initial themes coming out of the cars on display so far. Motor shows are a great opportunity to see what we can expect from the automotive industry in the short-medium term. 

Steering wheel designs 

Several of the concept cars debuted by Stellantis last night feature rectangular / oblong-shaped steering wheels. 

Peugeot debuted the “Hypersquare” steering system several years ago, featuring a rectangular steering wheel and “steer-by-wire” technology where there is no steering column but instead an electronic link between the driver's steering input and the wheels. The intention at the time was to fit this to Peugeot production vehicles by as early as 2026. It now seems more likely to be 2027 onwards, and the Hypersquare steering wheel was present on both the Peugeot E-T16 and RCZ Vision concept cars shown last night. 

Similarly within Stellantis Group, the Citroën 2CV concept car shown last night features a single-spoke oblong-shaped steering wheel and both the FIAT Multiplay concept car and the Alfa Romeo Cuorerosso steering wheels are similarly rectangular / oblong in shape.

Features like this are perfect candidates for registered design protection. For example, Stellantis owns registered design rights in relation to the distinctive “Hypersquare” steering wheel dating back to 2022 when it was first launched as a feature of the Peugeot Inception Concept. Whilst the Inception Concept itself may never be destined for mass production, it was important for Peugeot to independently protect the design of the Hypersquare given their intentions to integrate this into production cars and, based on the Paris Motor Show this year, it certainly seems this is still the plan. Obviously, HYPERSQUARE is also protected as a trade mark.

Reimagining old models

A few brands have taken inspiration from old models in their catalogues for the concept cars shown this year.

My personal favourite is the Renault 8 Gordini concept car. Announced in September and shown at the Paris Motor Show, the car pays tribute to the 1964 Renault 8 Gordini Sports Saloon, designed with Renault by Italian race-car driver, Amédée Gordini. The "Bleu De France" inspired paintwork and the double white stripes on the concept car are a throwback to the 1960s version, with a reworked “Gordini” badge and “G” logos within the 19-inch front and 20-inch rear wheels. There is some existing trade mark protection for the GORDINI name (albeit the registrations are generally subject to use requirements) and this concept car does seem to have inspired new applications for a “G GORDINI” logo at the EUIPO and in France by Renault.  Sadly for me, it seems this vehicle isn't likely to enter production, so my sights will still be set on the Renault 5. 

The Peugeot E-T16 Concept takes inspiration from the marque's rallying successes with the Group B 205 T16 model back in the 1980s. Whilst this is strictly a concept car for now, Peugeot's design director told Autocar that “if enough people are interested, we are looking to make it." 

The design of the Alpine A310 Vision is inspired by the brand's 1971 A310. Pop-down headlights and striking 3-spoke “A” wheels are just some of the features of what again seems to be a concept only at this stage. 

Many of us will remember the Renault Espace as a popular family car from our childhoods. Debuting today is the E-Space Concept, dubbed “the modern-day successor to the original 1984 Renault Espace”. The styling is very reminiscent of the original 1984 version and it seems Renault are trying to revive the concept of an MPV (multi-purpose vehicle) to rival popular SUVs. 

Finally, the icon that is the Citroën 2CV. Originally launched at the Paris Motor Show in 1948, production ceased in 1990. It was announced yesterday that the 2CV will rejoin the Citroën lineup from 2028 and a concept was shown at the Stellantis event last night.

This activity reflects a theme in the automotive sector at the moment, with brands taking inspiration from their back-catalogues for both concepts and new production cars (my comments on McLaren's recent heritage-inspired logo and new supercar here). As the automotive market is becoming increasingly diluted with new brands, reminding customers of the heritage and legacies of familiar manufacturers (such as Peugeot's rallying DNA and cult Renault classics) can help to reaffirm their position in the marketplace. 

In many cases, there may be some existing trade mark protection for heritage names and/or logos but this may be patchy and so a trade mark review is always important when considering re-instating an old brand in order to identify where gap-filling applications might be beneficial. There may be a cost-benefit analysis to be done (particularly if the brand will be used for a one-off concept car only, with no intention of using any names or logos more widely within a manufacturer's line-up going forward) but a trade mark review is an important part of the process when bringing the market's attention back to an older brand. 

City cars

For a while, it felt like cars were just getting bigger and bigger. Models that used to be compact (think Renault Clio, VW Polo, Honda Jazz etc.) were getting significantly larger. It does seem though that manufacturers are looking to re-introduce more compact “city cars” into the market. 

For example, the new Citroën 2CV mentioned above will be only 3.76 metres long and the DS Automobiles concept car (the DS F3VER) is not much larger at only 4.19 meters (does this signal a return to DS hatchbacks of old?). 

Audi is bringing back the A2 into production (as the A2 e-tron) in what they are describing as the “compact segment". Cupra is showing the Raval in Paris, an ”electric supermini" that is now available to buy. 

Finally, and another long-time favorite of mine, the Renault Twingo is back at the Paris Motor Show with a few new features such as a “Twingobay” panoramic glass roof. I am pleased to see that applications have been filed to protect “Twingobay” as a trade mark! 

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