The COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc throughout the automotive industry, causing production delays that some are only now beginning to shake off. But one of the hardest hit parties was the Geneva Auto Show, which was canceled days before the 2020 event was scheduled to open, with the halls already full of cars.
The show, which recently appeared in Qatar, hasn't been held in its traditional Swiss home since 2019, and now the comeback event planned for Europe in 2024 has been hit with the news that at least four major automakers won't be attending. BMW and Mercedes have both decided to stay away, according to a report in Automobilwoche, and given that Stellantis just pulled out of CES in Las Vegas, it's possible that its brand team doesn't want to invest millions to be there either.
Audi and the VW brand also won't be at Palexpo next February and March, but officials from Skoda, Cupra and Porsche told Automobilwoche reporters that they hadn't made a concrete decision about attending, though it was unlikely they would be there.
Even before the pandemic, automakers were cooling off on auto shows in general, but the forced absence has made it harder for them to regain full strength. Automakers don't want to spend millions on booth equipment when that money could be more effectively spent on social media promotion.
But that doesn't necessarily mean Geneva is lost. Organizers are busy trying to attract China's car companies, and with those same companies desperate to establish themselves in the European market, they may be happy to fill the void left by the likes of BMW, Audi, Mercedes and VW.
Source: Auto News
