Paris - Car makers are preparing to showcase their latest creations mirroring the trend toward funky city cars and fuel efficient compact SUVs at the Paris Motor Show this year.

With the legendary Citroen 2CV celebrating its 60th birthday this year, the French car maker is still holding back on presenting a reinvented "ugly duckling" but will unveil the C3 Pluriel in the twin-coloured look of the famous 2CV Charleston models of the 1980s.

Available as a limited edition in 2009, the C3 Pluriel Charleston convertible features the famous black and Bordeaux red colour scheme with leather upholstery, gloss-black fittings and 15 inch sport alloys.

Using its home ground to advantage, Citroen will also present the Hypnos, a crossover concept of van, sedan and SUV, and a preview of the C4 scheduled for release in 
2010. Teaser images show a vehicle with narrow side windows, large wheels, a panorama roof with a long-sloping windscreen.

Meanwhile, the highly successful BMW subsidiary MINI is set to give a first preview of a Crossover mini SUV that is scheduled to extend the model line-up in 2010. It is fitted with a 200 hp hybrid power unit, bringing fuel consumption down to 4.5 litres per 100 kilometres with an emission figure of 120 grammes per kilometre

The concept car has a ground clearance of 28 cm, a length of four metres and a width of 1.83 metres and will thus become the biggest MINI in the family. The big front grille, the three-dimensional headlights and the mighty 18 inch wheels give it a distinct SUV look.

Toyota will also present a mini SUV with its Urban Cruiser that was first unveiled as a concept car at the Geneva show last year. Positioned below the RAV4 SUV the Urban Cruiser is powered by a 1.4-litre diesel engine with improved fuel efficiency and emission figures.

Also on show will be Toyota's new super mini, the iQ, that measures less than three metres in length and will thus be in strong competition with Daimler's Smart. With space to seat four people, the iQ is a real space. Emission figures are listed at below 100 g/km. A real world-first is the rear airbag positioned behind the seats for protection of the rear passengers.

Chevrolet has announced that it will unveil in Paris its Orlando multi-purpose vehicle concept. The prototype is based on the platform of the Cruze sedan and merges SUV qualities with those of a station wagon. The variable interior seats up to seven passengers. A Chevrolet spokesman said a similar vehicle was lined up for production in two years.

Nissan's vision of motoring in the next decade is encapsulated with the Nuvu concept electric vehicle. Nuvu, which translates to a "new view", features an all-glass roof fitted with a dozen small solar panels shaped like leaves on a branch. The power they generate is fed to the battery using a "tree trunk" within the car as a conduit.

Nissan claims the Nuvu is light, clean, easy to drive and even easier to park, sharing some of the electric technology that Nissan plans to introduce in an all electric mass production vehicle scheduled for the U. S. and Japanese markets in 2010.

Honda says it will demonstrate its clean credentials in Paris with the Insight Concept, giving an outlook on the hybrid technology "bridging the gap toward a hydrogen powered future".

Honda claims the Insight will be the most affordable hybrid to date. The compact control unit and battery is mounted under the boot, giving the car a low centre of gravity. The Insight will be presented along with the FCX Clarity hydrogen fuel cell vehicle and CR-Z sports hybrid concept.

Much in the news is the new VW Golf that will celebrate its world premiere in Paris with sales scheduled to start in October. In the medium term, VW is planning to extend the range with a number of fuel-saving measures. A twin-drive concept, with a combination of electric motor and combustion engine, will possibly be on sale in 2015, according to German press reports.

But the new Golf GTI and the fuel-saving BlueMotion, that is scheduled for the salesroom in about a year, will also be on show in Paris. VW's CEO Martin Winterkorn says the BlueMotion is aiming for a fuel consumption of just 3.8 litres with a CO2 emission figure of 99 g/km with the help of brake regeneration and start-stop technology.

The Paris Show is scheduled from October 4 to 19. (dpa)