You could almost hear the organisers of the Paris Motor Show saying it out loud: thank God for a domestic motor industry.
As the first crowds started arriving at the bi-annual Mondial de l'automobile – at the usual exhibition centre, not far from the Seine, which sets records for its confused layout – there was a palpable feeling of credit-crunch pessimism.
Car sales were in shreds, financial commentators were talking Wall Street crash of 1929. How could this be a good show for an industry...
Read the full article