Hot metal: Electrics, SUVs and supercars mingle in Paris

A wildly expensive supercar from Bugatti. A one-seater retro Ferrari with a giant engine. And, notwithstanding the buzz over electrics, a big, seven-seat luxury Mercedes-Benz SUV with a powerful internal combustion engine.

Those are among the new models getting the most attention at this year's Paris Motor Show.

The show, held every two years, opens to the public Thursday through Oct. 14 at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles exhibition center. More than a million people attended in 2016.

An Audi e-tron 55 is on display at the Auto show in Paris, France, Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2018, 2018. All-electric vehicles with zero local emissions are among the stars of the Paris auto show, rubbing shoulders with the fossil-fuel burning SUVs that many car buyers love. (AP PhotoChristophe Ena)

AUDI E-TRON

Germany's luxury carmakers are finally offering production-ready battery-powered vehicles, the leading edge of what they say will be dozens of new electrics and hybrids over the next five to ten years. The e-tron falls into the familiar category of crossover SUV: big wheel wells and higher seating position but a car-like roofline and plenty of interior comforts. The e-tron offers faster charging at 150 kilowatts and longer range: more than 400 kilometers (249 miles) on a full charge under the European WLTP standard. Owners can use the highway network of fast-charging stations under construction by Ionity, the joint venture among Audi, Porsche, Daimler, BMW and Ford. So can owners of Mercedes-Benz' EQC electric SUV, also on display at the Paris show.

Audi says the interior will be nearly silent so well-heeled occupants can crank up the high-end Bang & Olufsen sound system. Among the options are virtual exterior mirrors that use cameras.

An Audi e-tron 55 quattro is on display at the Auto show in Paris, France, Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2018, 2018. All-electric vehicles with zero local emissions are among the stars of the Paris auto show, rubbing shoulders with the fossil-fuel burning SUVs that many car buyers love. (AP PhotoChristophe Ena)

Initial deliveries to European customers are planned for late this year; it comes to the U.S. in mid-2019. Prices in Germany start at 79,900 euros and in the U.S. at $74,800.

BUGATTI DIVO

Lighter and more agile than its similarly over-the-top predecessor, the Chiron, the Divo carries on the bold Bugatti styling with the swooping side air intakes doubling back into the roofline, traditional Bugatti grille and large front and rear spoilers. They provide the downforce to keep it on the road at speeds up to 380 kph (236 mph) generated by an enormous 1,500 horsepower, 8-liter, 16-cylinder engine.

A Bugatti Divo is on display at the Auto show in Paris, France, Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2018, 2018. All-electric vehicles with zero local emissions are among the stars of the Paris auto show, rubbing shoulders with the fossil-fuel burning SUVs that many car buyers love. (AP PhotoChristophe Ena)

"Not only is it super expensive, it is kind of built to be driven in a situation where it is more likely to be damaged," said Antuan Goodwin, car review editor for the CNET technology website. "So you have to be a super exclusive buyer to look at something like that."

The company only offered the car to people who already own a Chiron. The production run of 40 vehicles is already sold out at 5 million euros ($5.6 million) apiece.

FERRARI SP1 AND SP2

A Bugatti Chiron is on display at the Auto show in Paris, France, Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2018, 2018. All-electric vehicles with zero local emissions are among the stars of the Paris auto show, rubbing shoulders with the fossil-fuel burning SUVs that many car buyers love. (AP PhotoChristophe Ena)

The one- and two-seat open cockpit sports cars are the first in Ferrari's Icona series aimed at reviving long-discontinued models from the past. Only 499 existing customers can have the limited edition of the slender, boat-shaped cars, which recall racing models of the 1940s and 1950s.

Ferrari says the 810 horsepower engine is its most powerful ever. It takes the vehicle to 100 kph (62 mph) in 2.9 seconds and 200 kph (124 mph) in 7.9 seconds. The series is intended to provide less than 5 percent of Ferrari sales, which are forecast for 9,000 units this year. But the Italy price including VAT of 1.6 million euros ($1.85 million) suggests the SP1 and SP2 should contribute richly to the company's bottom line. The priced also includes helmets, custom driver's overalls and shoes.

BMW Z4

Ola Kallenius, member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG. Group Research & Mercedes-Benz Cars Development, presents the new Mercedes GLE during a media preview at the Auto show in Paris, France, Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2018, 2018. (AP PhotoThibault Camus)

The venerable two-seat convertible sports car category has been losing ground to SUVs and higher-end cars among those with the spare cash to spend. BMW aims to reinject some buzz in the premium midsize sports car segment, which shrank 14 percent to 23,000 units in the first seven months of the year in Europe.

Like its predecessors, the new Z4 has a long hood, big BMW kidney-shaped grills, and flared metal on the hood and sides. The six-cylinder, 3.0 liter version with 340 horsepower goes 0-100 kph (0-62 mph) in 4.5 seconds. It has up-to-date driver assistance technology for more mundane moments such as traffic jams and parking, and the soft top goes up in 10 seconds. The four-cylinder base model starts at 40,950 euros ($47,268) in Europe, tax included; the First Edition performance model comes in an eye-catching paint job called "frozen orange metallic" and costs 74,900 euros.

MERCEDES GLE

Mercedes' top-selling SUV gives an idea of what customers with money often want: a large diesel or gasoline engine with plenty of power to move up to seven passengers or pull a boat or off-road vehicle. The new version's wheelbase is 8 centimeters (3.1 inches) longer to make more interior room; a third row of seats to accommodate seven is optional. It has a 48-volt active suspension system to even out the ride as well as driver assistance features that can sense a traffic jam ahead and ease off the speed. The electrical system can also add power to the wheels when needed, making the car a so-called "mild hybrid" and saving fuel. The interior assistant can sense if you are leaning over to look for something in your bag on the passenger seat and will turn on the light to help you look. Prices will be announced later, ahead of market launch in 2019.

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk expressed satisfaction on Monday after a series of candidates supported by his party won weekend races for mayor.

Candidates from his pro-European Union centrist Civic Coalition, or running with the party's backing, won in a series of cities in the second round of local elections held on Sunday, among them Krakow, Poznan, Wroclaw and Rzeszow.

“It is very difficult to clearly say who won and who lost,” Tusk said Monday. “But if we compare these results, especially in the most attractive places, on these attractive battlefields ... then I actually have reasons for satisfaction.”

“Law and Justice has simply disappeared in many places,” Tusk added at a news conference, referring to the main opposition party.

The results put Civic Coalition in a favorable position as the country looks next to elections to the European Parliament on June 9.

Mayors were chosen in a total of 748 cities and towns where no single candidate won at least 50% of the vote during the first round on April 7.

Candidates for Tusk’s party also recaptured cities where they had not held power for many years, including Zielona Gora, Legnica and Torun.

The local and regional elections were viewed as a test for Tusk's pro-European Union government four months after it took power at the national level. Sunday's second round strengthened the Tusk government's leverage in the cities, which should facilitate cooperation on development projects and allotment of EU funds.

Tusk's allies also won in some places in the first round two weeks ago, including in Warsaw, where incumbent Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski was an easy victor.

In the first round, the right-wing Law and Justice, prevailed on the level of regional assemblies in the country's 16 provinces, where it took 34.3% of the votes, while Tusk's Civic Coalition got 30.6%. Law and Justice governed on the national level from 2015-23.

Tusk’s socially liberal Civic Coalition traditionally has strong support in cities, while Law and Justice has a more solid base in conservative rural areas, particularly in eastern Poland.

Civic Coalition is the largest group in a three-party coalition that governs the EU nation of 38 million people. The coalition is pro-European Union but otherwise spans a wide ideological spectrum with left-wing politicians in the Left party as well as conservatives in the Third Way.

Polish voters take part in a local runoff election in Lomianki, near Warsaw, Poland on Sunday, April 21, 2024. Voters are choosing mayors who did not win outright in the first round of the election two weeks earlier. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

Campaign posters promote candidates as Poles vote in local and regional elections in Lomianki, near Warsaw, Poland on Sunday, April 21, 2024. Voters are choosing mayors who did not win outright in the first round of the election two weeks earlier. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

Polish voters take part in a local runoff election in Lomianki, near Warsaw, Poland on Sunday, April 21, 2024. Voters are choosing mayors who did not win outright in the first round of the election two weeks earlier. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

Polish voters take part in a local runoff election in Lomianki, near Warsaw, Poland on Sunday, April 21, 2024. Voters are choosing mayors who did not win outright in the first round of the election two weeks earlier. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

FILE - Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk reacts during his and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meeting with students in Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, Jan. 22, 2024. Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk is celebrating a victory on Monday April 22, 2024 after a series of candidates supported by his party won weekend races for mayor. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky, File)

FILE - Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk listens to the media in Berlin, Germany, Friday, March 15, 2024. Tusk is celebrating a victory on Monday April 22, 2024 after a series of candidates supported by his party won weekend races for mayor. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi, File)