Hot new cars from the Paris Motor Show

Over 1.2 million people are expected to pour into the exhibit center at Porte de Versailles for the biennial Paris Motor Show this weekend.

The show includes 100 world premieres of luxury cars, practical autos andelectric and hybrid vehicles.

Among the new releases is Ford's seven-seater S-Max, which comes at a time of profit downgrades and disappointing sales figures for the U.S. company. There's also the Ferrari 458 Speciale A, which the Italian automaker claimed is the "star of the show". The brand behind the famous "prancing horse" logo hasn't been without its fair share of setbacks this year, however, and a change of management has many expecting a direction change in the years ahead.

Read MoreParis Motor Show highlights EM speed bumps

Click ahead for some of the hottest new releases from Europe's biggest carmakers at the 2014 Paris Motor Show.

By Matt Clinch; additional reporting by Nancy Hulgrave

Posted 3 Oct. 2014

Outgoing Ferrari Chairman Luca Cordero di Montezemolo unveiled the 458 Speciale A this week. The company - now owned by the Fiat-Chrysler Group - said it is a limited edition series of just 499 models and is the most powerful-ever product from its spider range.

Read MoreFerrari spat—new danger or new dawn?

Di Montezemolo told CNBC about his 23 years at Ferrari and the progress the company has made since he first started working there. Watch the interview here.

Ford has launched a range of products in Paris including an update to its S-Max. This all-new seven-seater is dubbed a "sports activity vehicle" and boasts some premium features.

There's also a new C-Max and Grand C-Max, but CEO Mark Fields told CNBC the company is also looking seriously at the luxury segment with its Lincoln brand.

Read More Ford CEO denies lulled into false sense of security

"There's a huge opportunity around the world in the luxury segment and we're just getting started on our transformation on Lincoln into a world class luxury brand," he said. "We're very excited, we know it's early days."

Nissan debuted its new five-door hatchback at the event. The new Pulsar range marks the carmaker's return to the C-segment, which is the third-smallest segment for autos.

This was the Japanese multinational's twelfth new product launch in the last 12 months, the company said.

Jaguar Land Rover has thrown its hat in the ring with a new 2015 Jaguar XE model. Ralf Speth, CEO of Jaguar Land Rover, told CNBC he was "convinced" the punt on the luxury car would work, after the company invested $2 billion to introduce advanced manufacturing techniques and new jobs at its U.K. facility.

Watch his interview with CNBC here.

Lamborghini's first plug-in hybrid, the Asterion is a concept car which is designed to "significantly" reduce CO2 emissions suing the latest technologies. However, it also guarantees the unique Lamborghini driving feel, the company said.

Stefan Winkelmann, CEO of Lamborghini, told CNBC there's still a lot of work to do for the Italian carmaker. Watch the interview here.

The high-end XC90 SUV, unveiled at the Paris show, was described as a "step forward" for Volvo by CEO Hakan Samuelsson. He told CNBC that the push into premium would not "alienate" loyal customers, however, with a range of price points for each model.

"I think the future for Volvo is being a premium brand and the important thing is of course to deliver value corresponding to that brand," he said in Paris.

Click here to watch his interview with CNBC.