So the Geneva show is off for 2021, and perhaps forever more. The show organisers, still coming to financial terms with the cancelling of the 2020 show in March, have already called off next year’s event, given the lukewarm response they had from potential exhibitors to the prospect of a 2021 edition.
And with the organisers now trying to sell the show to the Palexpo venue in which it is held, it’s very hard to see the stars aligning to allow it to make a comeback in a recognisable form in 2022, either.
Geneva motor show axed for 2021
Budgets will have been written without Geneva in it from car makers exhibiting there, and given most European motor shows have more sitting in the ‘out’ column than the ‘in’, the prospect of forking out the millions needed to display again at a time when belts will still need to be tightened as a result of the pandemic will not be an appealing one.
Cost-wise, it’s not as simple as building a stand: it’s the staffing of that stand for two weeks or more, and all the hotel, travel and subsistence costs that come with that, as well as all the literature to hand out and the cost of transporting said stand and vehicles to populate it.
And displaying at a motor show is always a hard thing to put a return on investment on, given they’re largely a PR and marketing exercise outside of ‘selling’ shows in China and the US, where car buyers do still tend to buy rather than browse.
Geneva’s passing is to be lamented. It’s a great start to the motoring calendar. Its early March date allows the first two months of the year to be filled with news of the new cars we’ll be seeing at the show, and driving soon after.
The Swiss venue is a neutral one, so there’s none of the home favouritism you see at other shows, and car makers are given the chance of equal space and branding. It has traditionally been the best attended show, too, although that was on the wane even before the pandemic because questions were being asked about the motor show’s role in the future as perhaps one of the industry’s more archaic concepts.
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289
@ Mark Tishaw
Can I suggest that if the worlds Auto press love the current format Motor shows so much and find them convenient for getting around the OEM's in a day or two (thus saving them time and travel expense..... then the the Auto press should pay for the event to run?!
Current format doesnt inspire anyone else too much and the costs are just plain wasteful. Its just not furure-proof.
Its not as though the great buying public take much notice of the printed advice anyway.
I hope the industry takes this wake-up call seriously and moves on from the same old- same old, spending their money in a more targeted fashion.
Mini2
Speak for yourself, 289
It isn't just the press who enjoy it. If you never bother with any of Autocar et al's coverage of the show then fine - but we'd all be poorer without it.
And there are plenty of average people who make the journey over to Geneva for the show - it's a highlight of the calendar for many.
catnip
Time was when you might get a
Time was when you might get a surprise launch at a motor show, but nowadays the way manufacturers constantly drip feed us with 'teasers' and long drawn out possible model plans, by the time any new model actually hits the market we're fed up of hearing about it.
I used to love going to the old London and NEC shows, but apart from the fact that I'm not sure I want to be crammed in with loads of people from all over the world, I've little interest in getting a little closer to the latest SUV variant.
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