If you thought the traditional motor show was dead, think again
Editor-at-large Phil McNamara explains why the return of major European motor shows could give car makers the stage they've been missing
Whisper it, but big European car shows are making a comeback. The Auto Express team is gearing up for October’s Mondial De l’Auto in Paris, where around 30 makers are signed up and preparing to make a splash.
“Paris is going to be a very big event for us,” Peugeot CEO Alain Favey recently told us. “It’s always big, but specifically this year we really want to express what the brand stands for. We’ll have two striking new concepts that will show the future of Peugeot: it’s exciting news we want to share with the public.”
Peugeot’s owner Stellantis is really going for it: its six major European brands will be out in force, with Citroen promising to unveil the reborn 2CV, Fiat due to finally show its Grizzly SUVs and Alfa Romeo’s continual teasing of its mid-size SUV ambitions, surely no coincidence.
Stellantis’ Leapmotor marque is the bridge to another array of Mondial manufacturers, the Chinese. BYD and its aspirational Denza sub-brand will be present, along with Geely, Changan, XPeng and more. They will compensate for some of the big no-shows: BMW, MINI, Porsche, Toyota and Jaguar Land Rover are the most high-profile absentees.
Notably, that quintet was all over the Goodwood Festival of Speed two weeks ago, where Stellantis was barely evident. The FoS is a high-octane, immersive experience that overloads the senses with sound and movement. Making a splash requires a huge outlay for firms, and alternatives to the traditional motor show – single-brand digital showcases exemplified by Apple or Tesla, and digital unveils learned during the Covid-19 pandemic – plus tougher economic times for the industry mean that show halls have been fallow for years.
The Geneva show is no more, but Munich felt vibrant last year, with firms doubling down on exhibition stands and pop-ups across the city. It’s a far cry from the 2022 Paris Mondial, which was pretty much the Renault-Dacia-Peugeot show. Renault Group will be back this October, plus VW, Audi, Skoda, Mercedes, Hyundai and Kia. Add test drives, late-night DJ sets and a maximum ticket price of 22 Euros (about £18.70), and you might be tempted to book a Eurostar. We’ll be there.
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