- The Geneva Motor Show will be back on in 2024 in its home country.
Who could have predicted what was to come when, back in March 2020 as the pandemic first reared its head, organizers of the Geneva Motor Show cancelled that year’s edition of the auto event.
On the heels of that announcement, authorities banned gatherings of more than 1,000 people. From there, things continued tumbling downhill. The 2021 edition was also cancelled. Followed financial difficulties and internal quarrels among organisers, and there has not been an auto show in Geneva since then.
Now we have confirmation that the event is coming back in 2024 to its home turf (there was actually a Geneva Motor Show this year, but it took place in Qatar). Organizers announced the show will be held from February 26 to March 3, 2024.
Those organizers are keen to stress that the event will not be a “mobility show” and that the focus will be on cars. Of course, there will still be exhibitors in the mobility field, but the dominant focus will be cars.
The new Geneva auto show will be notably different from the old, however. Organizers are looking to reduce costs, for themselves and for exhibitors, and part of that will involve providing ready-made stands for automakers and others ready to display their wares.
Said Sandro Mesquita, head of the group behind the event, “There is no doubt at all” that the event is back on. In an interview with Autocar, he added that “It's important to say it is confirmed. The only question will be the size because that will depend on the number [of exhibitors]. But we have enough responses to confirm we can move forward.”
The show will feature the usual automotive sections, but also pavilions focusing on innovation and design, and a section devoted to automotive performance. Unsurprisingly, there will also be a zero-emissions zone for everything to do with sustainable mobility.
If you're planning to be in Geneva next spring, tickets will be available as early as December.
All eyes now turn to the automakers and their response. Who will be there, and what vehicles will they unveil? The new reality is that many of those automakers have bypassed trade shows, preferring to put on online presentations of new models. Manufacturers are also tending to concentrate on more local events, in order to cut costs.
