Mondial L'Automobile has swept into Paris and electric mobility is well and truly in vogue for the 2016 event. Along with bold plans for production electric vehicles coming from Volkswagen and Mercedes, there are plenty of exciting design studies and racy variants to keep both electric aficionados and old-fashioned gear heads happy. Take a flick through our gallery to see the cream of the crop from the floor of the 2016 Paris Motor Show.
Here's three of our favorites to whet your appetite:
Renault Trezor
If we could hand out an award for best in show, this is where it would be going. The Trezor picks up where the 2010 DeZir left off, with a stunning design that hints at what the next generation of production Renaults will look like.
Under the scaly skin, Renault has fitted the powertrain from its Formula-E car for quick, clean, all-electric performance. With 350 hp (261 kW) and 380 Nm of torque, the Trezor will hit 100 km/h (62 mph) in four seconds flat.
That's not exactly supercar pace, but this isn't meant to be an all-out supercar. Instead, Renault says it's more of a long-legged grand tourer. Whatever it's meant to be, we like it.
Volkswagen ID Concept
Flicking through Volkswagen's history reveals a couple of major turning points. The Beetle, which has been oft-copied but never successfully replicated (or revived), was crucial in the push to mobilize the German masses. And lets not forget the ubiquitous Golf, which is now into its seventh generation.
VW believes the ID will be as significant as those cars in its narrative. Set to launch in 2020, it will debut the brand's bespoke MEB electric car architecture and kick off a push into the world of mainstream electric mobility.
It also signals a new move toward autonomous driving, with the inclusion of ID mode. When the driver holds the badge in the center of the steering wheel for 10 seconds, the wheel retracts and control is handed to four laser scanners, ultrasonic sensors, radar sensors, and cameras.
Mercedes EQ Generation
Along with Volkswagen, Mercedes has committed to having a production electric vehicle on the market by 2020. The EQ Generation is that vehicle.
Like the VW ID, it's built on a dedicated platform for electric cars, but Mercedes has run with a high-riding SUV body because, well, buyers just can't get enough of them at the moment. Although it's fitted with a glowing, blue front grille and slick LED lights, the EQ Generation still looks like a regular SUV, which could be key when it comes time to hit the market.
You can expect 500 km (310 mi) on a single charge, and the 300 kW electric motors should be powerful enough to give drivers a decent shove in the back.
To see more of the what the future has in store for our roads, head through to our 2016 Paris Motor Show concept car gallery.
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