The Geneva Motor Show, one of the world's five largest auto shows, has been canceled indefinitely.
In announcing the news, the Standing Committee of the International Motor Show Foundation, the organiser of the Geneva Motor Show, asked the Swiss government for permission to completely dissolve the foundation.
Just three months ago, when the 2024 Geneva Motor Show came to an end, some media outlets said that the Geneva Motor Show was over. "On past media days, there were always groups of reporters waiting at the ticket gates to enter when the show opened at 7:30 in the morning, but now it is no longer the same," the relevant European media wrote, "so much so that you could say it's a 'show of Renault and friends'".
Visitors watch at the booth of Chinese automobile brand BYD at the Geneva International Motor Show on February 28, 2024 local time.
At this year's Geneva Motor Show, the only major European automaker was Renault Group. The rest were mostly Chinese auto brands, including BYD and its sub-brand Denza, MG, and SAIC Motor's high-end electric car brand Zhiji.
"A lack of interest from car manufacturers" was part of the reason behind the indefinite cancellation of the Geneva Motor Show. Organisers said in a statement: "Amid a difficult industry backdrop, the lack of interest from manufacturers for the Geneva Motor Show, the competitive challenges from Paris and Munich, and the level of investment required to maintain such a show have dealt the final blow to the Geneva Motor Show."
In short, “there is too much uncertainty in the automotive industry and the attractiveness of major European trade shows is weakened to risk further investments in the future”.
The first Geneva Motor Show was held in 1905 and has a history of 119 years. At its peak, the Geneva Motor Show attracted as many as 120 exhibitors and 600,000 visitors. By 2024, only 23 automakers will participate in the Geneva Motor Show, and traditional giants such as Stellantis and Volkswagen are no longer there.
Organizers attributed the decline of the Geneva Motor Show to the COVID-19 pandemic. Affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Geneva Motor Show has been suspended for four years since 2019 (Note: the 2023 Geneva Motor Show was not held in Geneva, but moved to Doha, the capital of Qatar). In 2019, the year before the COVID-19 outbreak, the Geneva Motor Show attracted more than 600,000 visitors and 184 exhibitors.
Despite this, the industry generally believes that the epidemic has only accelerated the decline of the Geneva Motor Show. In fact, the voice of "auto shows are dead" has long been rampant. In the rapidly changing business environment, some European automotive experts said that the auto show format is not really suitable for the times we are in.
According to Autoweek, it is very important for automakers to spend money prudently, and auto shows are no longer the main battlefield for marketing expenditures. For many potential car buyers or car fans, auto shows are no longer their consumption destination, but social media is.
The Geneva Motor Show was once the first choice for automakers to showcase their latest and most fashionable models. It witnessed the debut of many legendary models such as the Porsche 356, Ferrari 288GTO, and Lamborghini Miura. Because politically, Geneva is a peaceful capital; in addition, Switzerland lacks its own automobile industry. Therefore, the Geneva Motor Show has created an ideal environment for fair competition among global automakers, who regard the Geneva Motor Show as a "neutral place."
However, this also makes the Geneva Motor Show somewhat out of tune with today's era.
It is not certain that the Geneva Motor Show will disappear completely. The lingering Geneva Motor Show is looking for a new way out, and its next stop is Doha. It is reported that the organizers of the Geneva Motor Show had been planning to move the Geneva Motor Show from Europe to the Middle East a few years ago, planning to hold the Geneva Motor Show every two years in Doha, and also reached an agreement with the Qatar Tourism Authority to share the hosting rights.
The next Geneva Motor Show will reportedly be held in Doha in November 2025. Time will tell whether automakers will follow suit.