Paris motor show 2026: CarExpert team picks Peugeot, Alpine, Citroen and Renault reveals as their favourites

A concept-heavy Paris show dominated by Stellantis

The 2026 Paris motor has been described by CarExpert as "one big Stellantis showcase", with the European-American automotive giant bringing distinctive concept cars for six of its 14 brands. CarExpert reports this puts paid to rumours the company is planning to offload any of them, though the show also delivered notable reveals from France's Renault and its Alpine performance brand, as well as Chinese entrants such as luxury brand Avatr. ¹

Peugeot's presence was one of the most prominent. In its own media release, Peugeot said it was presenting three concept cars at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, including two world premieres: the RCZ Vision and the E-T16 Concept. All three feature the Hypersquare steering control, and the brand displayed a new 1,300-square-metre stand in Hall 4, alongside the full production range from the 208 to the 5008 and the new E-208 GTi. ²

E-T16 concept: a rally legend reborn as an electric hyper hatch

Three members of the CarExpert team - senior editor reviews James Wong, deputy news editor Damion Smy and road test editor Ben Zachariah - named the Peugeot E-T16 concept as their favourite reveal of the show. Wong called it a WRC-inspired hyper hatch that pays a tribute to the original 205 Turbo 16 while previewing the next-generation E-208. As a self-described fan of hot hatches, he said the concept was his favourite car of the event and noted it is meant to spawn a production model. ¹

Peugeot's own announcement, issued at the show's opening on 12 October, states the E-T16 Concept celebrates the 40th anniversary of the 205 T16's back-to-back World Rally Championship victories in 1985 and 1986. The company lists claimed output of 816 hp and a 0-300 km/h time of 16 seconds, developed with Peugeot Sport, and describes the car as creating its own "Hyperhatch" segment as the most powerful Peugeot in history, challenged only by the 208 T16 Pikes Peak prototype that set the hill climb record in 2013. ²

CarExpert's editors also noted the claimed performance figures in slightly different terms - Wong cited over 600 kW of power, 0-100 km/h in 2.5 seconds and a 16-second sprint to the claimed 300 km/h top speed. Zachariah, meanwhile, saw the E-T16 as an obvious response to the Renault 5 Turbo 3E, which he described as a runaway success that has sparked renewed competition between the two French brands, and singled out the car's alloys as possibly the best-looking wheels he had seen in recent memory. ¹

Smy, a self-confessed Peugeot owner, said in his CarExpert contribution that the E-T16 could not be dismissed as a superficial imitation because the brand appears to understand what the 205 T16 means to enthusiasts. He noted it remains to be seen how electric propulsion meets the small, cleverly packaged brilliance of the original 205, but said the concept hitting the spot in spirit is a good start. ¹

RCZ Vision previews solid-state battery and steer-by-wire technology

Alongside the E-T16, Peugeot unveiled the RCZ Vision, a four-seat electric coupe concept described in CarExpert's report as a successor to the original petrol-powered RCZ, which was based on the 308 hatch and sold in Australia between 2010 and 2015. The concept wraps the brand's upcoming technologies in its 'Feline Future' design language and is not confirmed as a production model. ³

Peugeot's media release says the RCZ Vision combines a solid-state battery designed in collaboration with Factorial Energy with a 1,000-volt electrical architecture, delivering 500 hp, a targeted range of up to 600 km and consumption of just 11.5 kWh/100 km. CarExpert adds that the battery pack is only 110 mm thick and enables a claimed 10-80 per cent charge in as little as 10 minutes, noting Stellantis entered an agreement with the US battery firm in 2021 and that solid-state technology promises to be safer, cheaper, faster to charge and offer 20-50 per cent more range per charge than conventional lithium-ion cells. ²³

The concept also previews steering and braking technology headed for production cars. CarExpert reports the RCZ Vision uses variable-ratio steer-by-wire, is the first Peugeot with brake-by-wire, and pairs the Hypersquare control with an i-Cockpit featuring transparent micro-LED displays. The Hypersquare has been confirmed for the production next-generation 208, which CarExpert says is expected to be revealed in 2027, with the 2008 small SUV to follow. Peugeot says its Polygon Concept has already enabled testing of Hypersquare and steer-by-wire ahead of introduction from 2027. ²³

Alpine A310 Vision and the combustion question

Managing editor Marton Pettendy chose the Alpine A310 Vision concept, a show car he described as a homage to the 1970s coupe that shares the next-generation A110's new APP platform. According to his CarExpert commentary, Renault has said the APP platform can accommodate a combustion engine as well as electricity, and the A310 concept is expected to spawn at least a limited-edition production model. ¹

Pettendy's analysis noted the outgoing A110 coupe's Australian life was cut short by fast-tracked local side-impact regulations, and that the A110's upcoming successor will be launched in all-electric form. He argued that if Alpine does produce combustion-powered A110 and A310 coupes, the brand would finally offer both an attainable rear-drive sports coupe and a more serious flagship to rival the Porsche 911. ¹

Citroen 2CV and Renault E-Space lead the retro revivals

Two CarExpert editors picked retro-inspired French concepts. Senior editor news William Stopford chose the Renault E-Space concept, describing it as a reset of a model Renault claims pioneered the modern people mover. He noted the Espace nameplate had grown through five generations before becoming a stretched version of the Austral SUV, and said the new concept's styling is more of an homage than a retro pastiche, though he found its interior - two large screens and an oddly shaped steering wheel - less exciting than its exterior. ¹

Journalist Max Davies selected the Citroen 2CV revival, calling it the silliest car of the show and describing a cabin with plaid bench seats, circular pedals, a centre console that doubles as a removable basket, and a quirky radio on the passenger side. Stopford had also been impressed by the 2CV's interior, praising its string lights and clever packaging, but raised concerns about how Citroen will handle the planned production version, citing past retro revivals such as the Volkswagen New Beetle and Chrysler PT Cruiser as cautionary examples. ¹

The nostalgia factor was part of CarFounder Alborz Fallah's pick as well - the Alfa Romeo Cuorerosso concept, which he praised for its looks while lamenting, in his CarExpert commentary, that it will not be made into a production car. For founder Alborz Fallah, the concept succeeded in making him want to buy an Alfa even though the brand is, as he put it, virtually dead in Australia. ¹

What the Peugeot concepts mean for Australia

Neither the RCZ Vision nor the E-T16 is confirmed as a production model, so any Australian availability remains unknown. However, CarExpert reports the show concepts arrive as Peugeot receives greater attention from Stellantis, having been named earlier in 2026 as one of four priority brands alongside Jeep, Ram and Fiat - ahead of Alfa Romeo, Chrysler and Citroen. ³

The local context is complicated. CarExpert notes local importer Inchcape, which has held Australian Peugeot distribution rights since 2017, announced it would hand those rights back, with a new Australian importer yet to be officially announced. Stellantis has also not resumed local Citroen distribution following Inchcape's decision in 2024 to cease distributing that brand, ending 102 years of Citroen sales in Australia. ³