The Geneva Motor Show returns this year in a reduced version

The Hall of Car of Geneva reopens its doors on Monday for its 100th edition, in a reduced format with which it must show its relevance after four years without being held due to the pandemic of the covid-19.

This event was one of the main events of the automotive sector in the northern spring, but this edition will occupy only three pavilions of the Geneva exhibition Palexpo, half of the six of the previous edition, in 2019.

Only a handful of big brands will be present at the Geneva International Motor Show (SIAG), with Renault-Dacia as the only European representative, along with Chinese giants and electrical manufacturers such as BYD or SAIC with its MG brand, and the American Lucid .

Most of the big brands were absent this year, such as the German Volkswaken (Audi, Skoda, Lamborghini, Bugatti), Porsche, BMW and Mercedes, as well as the Stellantis groups (Peugeot, Citroen, Alfa Romeo, Maserati), Toyota and Hyundai -Kia.

The Geneva Motor Show was known as an event where manufacturers presented their new products with great fanfare, especially sports and luxury models.

Porsche first presented its 356 coupe there in 1949, Jaguar its Type-E in 1961 and, more recently, Alpine its Berlinette A110.

R5 chinese cars

The 2024 edition of SIAG will be marked by the presentation of the new Renault R5, the electric version of its emblematic vehicle from the 1970s-80s, manufactured in France and with a competitive price.

Dacia plans to present the third generation of its urban all-terrain SUV, the Duster, and an update of its small compact electric model Spring.

For its part, the Chinese manufacturer BYD launches its luxury brand Yangwang in Europe, with its enormous U8 luxury SUV.

The SAIG ​​group will present its IM (intelligent mobility) brand. Its L6 sedan aspires to compete with European luxury electric cars with its 800 kilometers of autonomy.

A jury of journalists plans to award the international car of the year award on Monday morning. The March 2020 Geneva Motor Show was canceled just days after it opened due to an explosion in Covid-19 cases. Its organizers have since launched a new motor show in October 2023 in Qatar, with a second edition planned for 2025.

“We are glad to be back. “It is essential that the Geneva Motor Show once again becomes a great long-term platform where industry and the public meet,” declared the president of the event, Alexandre de Senarclens, in January.

“This year we have been a little forgotten by some manufacturers. The idea is to come back bigger and stronger every year,” Senarclens highlighted.

The SIAG expects to receive 200,000 visitors from February 26 to March 3, compared to 600,000 five years ago. Admission costs 25 Swiss francs (US$28.4).

The event wants to renew its proposal at a time when many manufacturers are withdrawing from the big ones due to their plans to cut back due to the cost of booths or because they prefer online presentations.

Some organize their own events to present their new products, as Toyota did at the end of November in Brussels.

The Paris Motor Show and the Munich Motor Show have tried to renew their offer to attract visitors around the automobile, a means of transport that many point out as responsible for global warming.

The one in Paris was smaller but with an emphasis on brands and in Munich the organizers emphasized electric mobility.