2008 Paris Auto Show Preview: Venturi and Michelin Electric Car

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CLERMONT-FERRAND, France — Tiremaker Michelin and specialist carmaker Venturi have announced that their ongoing collaboration will bear new fruit this fall at the 2008 Paris Auto Show. The companies will unveil a jointly developed electric car equipped with the "most advanced" technology on October 2.

The car is designed by Sacha Lakic and is billed as an opportunity for Michelin and Venturi to show off both state-of-the-art innovations and high performance. Technical details weren't given.

Venturi's Fétish electric sports car was displayed at the 2008 Monaco Top Marques show this past April. The car displayed Venturi's newly developed VM300 electric motor that made more than 300 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque. At that time, Venturi said it would be introducing the 2009 Fétish at the Paris show and would put the car into production within 12 months after the debut.

Earlier this year, Venturi's Eclectic "energy autonomous" prototype was used as a police car in the film Babylon A.D. starring Vin Diesel and Gerard Depardieu. Venturi also has a recent history of solar-powered vehicle development, having entered the Astrolab in the World Solar Challenge.

What this means to you: More electric-car excitement coming to Paris. — Laura Sky Brown, Correspondent