Paris 2010: Is the Venturi America EV Dune Buggy another awesome EV we'll never see?

Venturi was last seen in America a couple of months ago, blasting across the white crystals at the Bonneville Salt Flats in the guise of the Buckeye Bullet. At the Paris Motor Show, the Monegasque company revealed a different kind of terrain-blasting machine called the America EV Dune Buggy – a jacked-up, 300-horsepower, rear-wheel-drive electric sports car as open and free as the great land it's named after.

The interior would be admirably minimal if things hadn't got cluttered up around the console screen, but the center tunnel buttons are a chunky, metallic pleasure to behold. The single display in front of the driver will hopefully present information clearly enough to keep your eyes on the road and your hair in the wind. And we aren't sure what kind of stereo is involved, but based on the speakers it looks pretty serious.

As for actually getting behind the wheel and exploring the roadster's namesake country, a retail source for Venturis has just landed in Columbus, Ohio, which means we might one day see something from the automaker outside of a blog post.

Paris 2010: 2011 Mercedes-Benz CL63 AMG mixes Wall Street and Miami Vice

Making the swap from a naturally aspirated 6.3- 6.2-liter V8 to a direct injection, twin-turbo 5.5-liter V8 hasn't at all reduced the Mercedes CL63 AMG's brawny beauty. The standard version gets 544 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque. Opt for the AMG Performance Package and you boost that to 571 hp and 664 lb-ft. All that power doesn't come with a bigger fuel price, either: at 22 combined miles per gallon with the help of stop/start and the AMG Speedshift MCT seven-speed sport transmission, the new car posts a 25 percent increase in fuel economy over the 6.2-liter beast.

The AMG Performance Package that throws in all that extra gumption also comes with double-spoke wheels in titanium gray, extra carbon fiber trim under the hood and in the cabin, as well as a leather and Alcantara steering wheel. With it you get a 4.4-second 0-60 time, without you'll have to make do with 4.5 seconds.

Helping you keep things composed while on the move are crosswind stabilization added to the Active Body Control, Direct Steer and Torque Vectoring Braking, which brakes the inside wheel when necessary to maintain crispness when things go curvy. If you're looking for a bit of green, you'll find it in the regenerative braking. The rest better be in your wallet.

Paris 2010: Ferrari California featuring HELE system

One theme we have seen so far at this years Paris Motor Show, is automakers showing off vehicles which don't seem to flow with past company history. Ferrari just added a vehicle to the growing list. Have a look at the Ferrari Calfornia fitted with the HELE System. HELE stands for High Emotion Low Emissions and is a system designed to reduce C02 emissions without taking away from the joy of driving a Ferrari.

The HELE System works by utilizing a variety of technical measures including a start/stop function that can restart the car in 230 milliseconds, intelligent engine fan and fuel pump control, electronically controlled variable displacement air-conditioning technology and adaptive gear shifts. The result is a 23 percent reduction in C02 emissions.

We joke about automakers moving away from their traditional vehicles, but it's these types of cars that allow them to continue to build the ones we love. There probably would be no Porsche GT2 RS without the Cayenne, for example. The Ferrari California fitted with the HELE System shows that the purveyor of the Prancing Horse understands the world is constantly changing – and Ferrari is doing its best to continue to build the cars it's known for while staying in tune with the current climate of the world.