GIMS 2024 is happening: This is how the Geneva Motor Show will be

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The Geneva Motor Show is back! After four canceled events in recent years, the Geneva International Motor Show (GIMS) will be held again at the Geneva exhibition center Palexpo from 28 February to 3 March. The fair was held for the last time in 2019; In 2020, due to the emerging corona epidemic and the ban on large events, it was canceled shortly before the start.

Since then, it has not been able to find its way back – not only in Geneva, but also at trade fairs in Detroit (USA), Paris (F) and Munich (D, International Motor Show IAA), most exhibitors turned their backs and refused to let your new products go digital. Focus on your presentations. Now a new concept is planned to revitalize GIMS: “With a new approach, we want to bring back brands that are not there yet this year,” says Alexandre de Senarclens (48), sponsor of the Geneva Motor Show. basis.

Almost 30 participants, new concept

When it comes to the concept, he and salon manager Sandro Mesquita, 49, rely on a mix of innovation and charm. Under the slogan “Auto.Future.Now”, different theme zones will present new developments in the fields of electric motorsport, design, individual mobility and networking and sim racing. Around 30 exhibitors from Europe, Asia and North America will present 15 world and European premieres that are not necessarily made of sheet metal and have four wheels.

Because: Established car manufacturers stay away from the trade fair, with one exception: In Geneva, only Groupe Renault is exhibiting new products from its Renault and Dacia brands. Many exotic car manufacturers such as BMW, Mercedes, Stellantis, Volkswagen Group and Koenigsegg and McLaren, which once added color to the fair, are staying at home. Two of the auto giants from China currently on the rise in Europe will occupy a lot of ground: BYD and MG are preparing for their market launch in Geneva, Switzerland. Also present will be Isuzu, a small Japanese commercial vehicle manufacturer, and a number of niche suppliers: Microlino from Küsnacht ZH, as well as Italian supercar supplier Pininfarina, Stromer from Lucid from California and the exclusive Töffs from Lazareth are also represented, among others will be done.

So who is the target group?

Under these circumstances, is the target audience still classic car enthusiasts? “We continue to target car enthusiasts and anyone interested in the latest advances in personal mobility,” says Mesquita. In workshops with designer legend Frank Stephenson, audiences will be able to draw the cars on display outside the fair or drive some of the electric models. A VIP day, which is a congress event with lectures and panel discussions, is also planned on February 27.

The point is: “We’re putting the car at the center,” says Mequita. A trade fair for scooters or e-bikes, like the Munich IAA last year, is out of the question for him. The Munich concept with car manufacturers’ stands in the city center is interesting but impractical for GIMS, says Mesquita: “We want to stick to the spring date – and then the weather is too bad for outdoor events. “Also, such a concept is difficult to implement in Geneva’s narrow city centre.”

World premieres of the past

Even though the exhibit space is barely a quarter the size of what it used to be and the trade show is open to the public for only five days instead of the previous eleven, Mesquita is confident about visitor numbers. Around 1,000 media representatives have already been accredited and with around 200,000 visitors the fair will be a success for him.

A touch of the Geneva Motor Show from the past, when the trade fair was still one of the most important in the world, will still be felt in the halls: the Salon Foundation presents 35 models that once celebrated their world premiere in Geneva. In some cases, even the specific car introduced at the time.

Source: Blick