One of the most prestigious events on the auto show calendar — the Geneva International Motor Show, will be bowing out, as the auto industry adapts to new ways of showcasing its latest and greatest.
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Geneva International Motor Show in Geneva, on February 28, 2024.
FABRICE COFFRINI/Getty Images
As per reports by Automotive News Europe and Reuters, the 2024 edition of the show held from February 26 to March 3 in the Swiss city will be its last iteration and the final chapter in the show’s storied 119-year history.
In a statement, Alexandre de Senarclens, the president of the show’s organizing committee described the decision “regrettable” and attributed it to factors outside the show.
“However, it has to be said that the lack of interest shown by manufacturers in the Geneva Salon in a difficult industry context, the competition from the Paris and Munich shows which are favored by their domestic industry, and the investment levels required to maintain such a show, sound the final blow for a future edition,” he said.
The COVID-19 pandemic led organizers to pause the show, with the 2024 edition being the first since the pandemic. For a show that was billed as a “fresh start” by its organizers, it was attended by 168,000 visitors, a stark comparison to the shows held before the pandemic, where attendance hovered at close to half a million.
Visitors are seen during the first public day of the Geneva International Motor Show in Geneva, on February 28, 2024.
FABRICE COFFRINI/Getty Images
Throughout its run, the Geneva International Motor Show was a calendar event for car enthusiasts, even for those that lived outside of Switzerland and continental Europe.
Automakers from all corners of the globe treated the Geneva show as neutral ground, and took the opportunity to reveal some of the industry’s most wild, creative and eye-catching creations in front of the world’s press and the general public. Some legendary cars that were revealed at Geneva over its storied history included the Jaguar E-Type, the Lamborghini Miura and Countach, the first Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1, as well as more pedestrian cars like the first Volkswagen Scirocco.
In comparison, the 2024 show saw only nine manufacturers exhibit their latest offerings: French brands Renault and Dacia, Chinese automaker BYD and its subbrands Denza and Yangweng, SAIC’s MG and IM, the American EV firm Lucid, and Italian design house Pininfarina.
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A 2024 Nissan GT-R sports car during the 2024 New York International Auto Show (NYIAS) in New York, US, on Thursday, March 28, 2024.
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The departure of the Geneva International Motor Show in Geneva is a stark reminder of the reduced role that auto shows play within the industry’s ecosystem.
More than ever before, automakers have bypassed the usual auto show route, preferring to reveal their cars by way of press releases, as well as livestreamed keynotes, which eliminate the need and financial burden of traveling cars and people to a physical location.
Just this week, Porsche unveiled the new hybrid 911 GTS via a livestreamed event on YouTube, while the new Jeep Wagoneer S electric SUV, Cadillac Optiq and refreshed BMW 3-Series were revealed via press blasts that were picked up by the much of the world’s motoring press.
It’s a simple formula that was first utilized by Apple. Using Porsche’s reveal of the hybrid 911 GTS as an example, the brand sent out a press blast confirming a specific detail about the upcoming car; in this case, the new hybrid powertrain and its lap record around the Nürburgring, while also revealing the date of the livestream.
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Physical presentation, virtual presentation, or no presentation with just a press release, the reveal will be picked up by the world’s motoring press.
Manufacturers have also gone as far as using the metaverse to introduce new models, or provide immersive branded content. In October 2023, BMW announced a new model through the popular video game Fortnite, while Hyundai hosts its own world showcasing “future mobility” on Roblox.
The show goes on (but not in Geneva):
Geneva International Motor Show 2023 (GIMS)at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center in Doha on 11 October 2023
(Photo by Noushad Thekkayil/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The show does live on in a different form. Thing is; it is not actually held in Switzerland, rather in Doha, Qatar.
The organizers of the Geneva International Motor Show said that its sister show in the middle eastern country will continue in November 2025, where considerable interest in the region has helped to fill convention halls with people, and find an audience outside of Europe.
“It’s satisfying to realize that motor shows continue to appeal to brands in different parts of the world, and that the Geneva International Motor Show has reinforced its appeal in the Middle East,” Geneva Motor Show CEO Sandro Mesquita said in a statement.
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