Doing the Detroit Twist

Even Charles de Gaulle was there. Surrounded by security troops bristling with submachine guns, the French President last week strode through Paris' dazzling auto show. So did every other European who could possibly make it.

The focus of this year's show was on Europe's new breed of luxury compacts. Having already lured millions of Europeans into cars designed above all for economy, Europe's automakers are now copying Detroit in an effort to get their customers to trade up to more expensive cars. The bait is a whole new line of small cars that feature such attractions as more lavish interiors, increased acceleration and crisper styling, and cost $200 to $300 more than economy models.

Visitors to the Paris show seemed to like what they saw. Chic Parisian housewives wiggled into the Renault's R-8 (the trade-up from the Dauphine) and squealed with delight at built-in vanity mirrors and soft new spongy seats. Men rocked the Morris 1100--an upgraded Mini Minor--to test its revolutionary liquid suspension system. Other members of the new line:

> Alfa-Romeo's Giulia "Berline" is the most expensive of the luxury compacts ($3,500) but also the fastest, with a top speed of 107 m.p.h.

> Ford of West Germany's Taunus 12M is the Teutonic version of the Cardinal, the small car which Ford originally intended to produce in the U.S. as well. The 12M has a V-4 engine that drives the front wheels. Price: $1,500. > Ford of Britain's Cortina, the conservative British version of the Cardinal, has conventional rear-wheel drive, a top speed of 77 m.p.h., and costs $1,600. >West Germany's Opel Kadett, General Motor's newest European entry, features a roomy interior and trunk, is practically indistinguishable from the R-8 or Giulia in its box-tail styling, and sells for $1,450.

Judging from the enthusiasm of the thousands who poured into the Salon de 1'Auto, Europe's carmakers had hit the right note. So long as the economies of the Common Market nations continued to prosper, Europe's man in the street seemed only too ready to do the Detroit twist.

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