Tesla fighters, utility vehicles are a la mode in Paris

Next week's Paris auto show marks the start of the fight back by German premium automakers against Tesla's dominance of the market for full-electric luxury vehicles. The EQC crossover will be the first of a new generation of battery-powered cars from Mercedes-Benz, while Audi's e-tron makes its auto show debut after a media unveiling last week in San Francisco.

Automakers also will introduce conventional vehicles that are key to their profitability. These include the BMW 3 series, the upscale DS 3 Crossback crossover from PSA Group and the Seat Tarraco, the third utility vehicle from the Volkswagen Group brand.

Some major brands — including VW, Ford, Nissan and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles' Jeep, Fiat and Alfa Romeo — are skipping the event, the latest in a wave of auto show defectors. General Motors, which last year sold its European operations to France's PSA, won't be there, either.

Audi

Audi's e-tron crossover leads the German luxury brand's charge against Tesla. The e-tron arrives in U.S. dealerships in the second quarter of next year. Pricing starts at $75,795, including shipping. It will have a range of just under 250 miles, based on the Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicle Test Procedure used in Europe, known as WLTP. It will accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 5.5 seconds. The e-tron will compete against models such as the Jaguar I-Pace, Tesla Model X and Mercedes EQC. Audi says it will offer 12 full-electric vehicles by 2025, ranging from compact to full-size models.

Audi's latest Q3 also will debut in Paris. The compact crossover has grown bigger to distance itself from the smaller Q2. It gets new safety and connectivity options and uses parent Volkswagen Group's MQB platform. The Q3 is Audi's No. 3 seller globally, after the Q5 midsize crossover and A4 compact sedan.

BMW

BMW's big launch is the seventh-generation 3 series. Engineers have focused on improving driving dynamics to restore the model's appeal to driving enthusiasts after the current model strayed from its sporty roots. The 3 series moves to BMW's flexible, lightweight Cluster Architecture, known as CLAR. The car's appearance doesn't change much, but it gets sharper creases and harder edges to enhance its upscale appeal. BMW promises new, more-efficient engines.

BMW's new Z4 gets a show premiere after making its debut last month at Monterey Car Week in California. The Z4 marks BMW's return into the roadster market after the automaker discontinued production of the earlier generation in 2016. To keep engineering and development costs in check, the Z4 shares its platform with Toyota's revived Supra sports car.

DS

PSA Group's upscale DS brand will debut the DS 3 Crossback. It will compete with the Audi Q2 and Mini Countryman crossovers in Europe. A full-electric version will have a range of 186 miles, based on the WLTP test cycle, and the ability to be recharged to 80 percent capacity in 30 minutes.

Ferrari

The Monza will be the latest limited edition supercar aimed at boosting Ferrari's already-high profitability without hurting the Italian automaker's exclusivity. It will come in one- and two-seat configurations, the Monza SP1 and Monza SP2. Both are inspired by past Ferrari barchettas, a term used for lightweight, open-topped race cars from the 1940s and '50s. The Monzas will offer 799 hp. They will accelerate from 0 to 62 mph in 2.9 seconds and 0 to 124 mph in 7.9 seconds. The 1948 166 MM Barchetta and 1954 750 Monza cars provided design inspiration. Ferrari will build fewer than 500 to sell to its most loyal customers. Prices will be given at the show and likely will break through the $1 million barrier, as have previous special editions.

Kia

The ProCeed will be the halo model of Kia's latest-generation Ceed compact family sold in Europe. The sleek, five-door model has a shooting-brake body style inspired by the success of low-slung premium wagons such as the Mercedes CLA. The ProCeed is lower and longer than the Ceed five-door hatchback and Sportswagon, with a steeply raked rear window to separate it from its siblings. The ProCeed replaces the Ceed three-door car, which Kia axed because the market for such models is shrinking.

Mercedes-Benz

The EQC will be the first of a new generation of Mercedes-Benz EVs. The crossover has a power capacity of 80 kilowatt-hours, helping to give it a driving range of about 250 miles, similar to the Audi e-tron. The EQC is underpinned by Daimler's new Electric Vehicle Architecture. The automaker plans to launch at least 10 full-electric cars under the Mercedes and Smart brands by 2022.

The new B-class minivan and A-class sedan will be among Mercedes' other debuts. The B class moves to a new, lighter platform and gets a more balanced design. A long-wheelbase A-class sedan premiered at the Beijing auto show in April. The Paris car will be a short-wheelbase variant.

Peugeot E-Legend concept

Peugeot

Peugeot's E-Legend concept showcases future autonomous technologies and a full-electric drivetrain while evoking the 504 Coupe styled by Pininfarina that debuted in 1969. Touches that recall the 504 Coupe, which stayed in production until 1983, include the model name badge on a long, sloping hood; black trim at the base of the roof pillar; knife-edged fenders; and overall proportions that signal "sports coupe." Peugeot has no plans to produce the E-Legend, but company executives noted that the concept's dimensions are similar to those of a normal production car and that its styling is purposely approachable.

Seat

Volkswagen's Spanish brand expands its European utility lineup to three models with the Tarraco. It will join the Ateca compact and Arona subcompact as the largest of the three utility vehicles based on VW Group platforms. The Tarraco is a crucial addition to help Seat retain more affluent customers and increase profit margins. It will come with five or seven seats and use the MQB-A long-wheelbase architecture, which also underpins the Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace.

Toyota Corolla station wagon

Toyota

Toyota will debut the station wagon version of the new Corolla, which replaces the Auris wagon in Europe. Like the new Corolla hatchback that was shown at the Geneva show in March, the wagon will be sold with just gasoline and gasoline-electric hybrid powertrains as Toyota continues to phase diesels out of its European lineup. The wagon has been designed to look more distinct than the hatchback, Toyota said. It has prominent wheel arches, a sweeping roofline and a wider stance to emphasize its sporty nature. The Corolla name is used in Toyota's other global markets, but Toyota changed the name of its compact car family in Europe to Auris in 2006. Toyota said it is returning to the Corolla name to reflect the worldwide application of the car's Toyota New Global Architecture.

VinFast

Vietnamese automaker VinFast will debut a sedan and a crossover, the new company's first production vehicles. The crossover is similar in size to the BMW X5. The sedan is the same length as the BMW 5 series. Both cars have been designed by Italy's Pininfarina. VinFast is using the Paris show to raise its global profile. The automaker plans to launch the sedan and crossover in the third quarter of 2019, targeting annual production of 500,000 vehicles by 2025. It also plans to export to foreign markets but has not named them.

Luca Ciferri, Nick Gibbs, Christiaan Hetzner, Urvaksh Karkaria, Andrea Malan, Jay Ramey, Peter Sigal and Larry P. Vellequette contributed to this report.