Geneva Motor Show celebrates comeback in small format
Published: Wednesday, Jan 24th 2024, 15:10
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The Geneva Motor Show is back, opening its doors at the end of February for the first time since 2019. However, the Geneva International Motor Show (GIMS) is only celebrating its comeback in a small format for the time being. The aim is to make the motor show more compact, innovative and electric.
"After four difficult years due to the pandemic and its impact on the automotive industry, the Geneva Show is back," said Alexandre de Senarclens. He took over the reins at GIMS last June. However, this is not a "test edition" of the event, he confirmed to the news agency AWP at a press conference on Wednesday.
However, the number of exhibitors is manageable. Just over twenty suppliers will be represented in Geneva. With the exception of the French manufacturer Renault and its low-cost subsidiary Dacia, the biggest players in the industry are absent.
Electric cars take center stage
"Some brands have canceled their participation because they had no new products to present, others for strategic or financial reasons," explained trade fair director Sandro Mesquita. Many manufacturers had "removed the event from their calendars after the long absence of the show."
This year's Motor Show has also been shortened from 11 to 7 days - partly at the request of the manufacturer brands, but mainly for cost reasons. Nevertheless, the organizers are hoping for around 200,000 visitors. Before the coronavirus pandemic, there were more than 600,000.
According to Mesquita, the manufacturers come from all over the world: "There is also a clear dominance of electromobility." BYD, for example, will represent the Chinese automotive industry. BYD sold over 3 million vehicles last year.
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