Some manufacturers, convinced of the need to continue to make people dream, presented their concept cars, a way to prove that they still have something to offer and that the future does not scare them. And, oh surprise, tomorrow often looked like déjà vu. As if looking in the rear-view mirror made it easier to see ahead. At Renault, in particular, the nostalgia was palpable between a model derived from the R5, revised in body-built mode, and another referring to the no less popular R4, here in frugal mode. At Citroën, the event was called Oli, an electric vehicle directly descended from the Méhari, which could give the feeling that it was drawn by an HIP child with a ruler and a pencil, as vertical and horizontal lines dominate. And, if it had been present at the Mondial, VW would not have hesitated to present the 2.0 version of its famous hippie Combi, now hipster Combi, with its pastel colors and funny design. Only legendary models, of course, but accessible. Light years away from the prototypes with their curved shapes and flying saucer-like appearance we used to discover.

What can be deduced from it? That we live in troubled times, and brands are called to our side to reassure us and bring us comfort. That the future is less dreamy than the past, the umpteenth confirmation that, yes, it was definitely better before. That driving a retro-futuristic vehicle is a bit like getting a botox injection: wanting to look younger while knowing that nobody will be fooled. And finally, that inventing tomorrow can no longer be considered without taking yesterday on board: as if the future had to be cobbled together from already familiar forms to be more easily acceptable.