Highlights of the Geneva International Motor Show 2024: The big Renault show at the Geneva Mini Salon

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Everything was better before. This may not always be true, but it is unfortunately true when it comes to the number of exhibitors and diversity of topics at this year’s Geneva Motor Show. The Geneva International Motor Show GIMS 2024, which ends today after being open to the public for just six days, is a mere shadow of its former self compared to the last auto show held in 2019 before Corona. Some suppliers, but only well-known car companies Renault and its subsidiary Dacia, US brand Lucid, two Chinese manufacturers BYD and SAIC subsidiary MG – are offering their new products in a space of about a quarter of the original sedan size. entry prices have increased significantly.

Renault doesn’t care. The French cleverly took advantage of the large show stage and the unlimited attention of media representatives for the world premiere of the Renault 5 E-Tech Electric. In the usual location in Hall 4, everything revolves around the new retro-futuristic R5; This R5, with its attractive starting price of under 25,000 CHF and range up to 25,000 CHF, will likely compete with increasingly strong competition from China towards the end of the year. 400 kilometers.

Not just nice words, but also actions

Three and a half years ago, the then new CEO Luca de Meo (56) took over the management of the struggling French brand in the midst of the Corona crisis and loudly announced the “Renaulution” and the concept study, among other things. Many insiders smiled ruefully, as evidenced by the R5 Electric, now released in exactly the same form. They thought: Yes, yes, another attempt to get the ailing brand back on track with nice words.

But instead of just chattering, de Meo also delivers. Renault now has a funny claim: “The revolution is a French thing.” The Renault CEO filled important key positions in the group with people who understand their business. For example, brand boss Fabrice Cambolive (56). The hard-working strategist once founded major RRG dealerships (Renault Retail Group) in Switzerland and is now doing something similar internationally. And lo and behold: things are looking up. Renault went aground again in 2023 after a loss in 2022, making a net profit of around 2.3 billion euros. The product range is also impressive. The small electric R5 is a source of great hope and received many positive reviews when it was introduced. Renault brand boss Fabrice Cambolive does not hide his expectations: “We have equalized with Zoe, now we want to reap the rewards with R5.”

Overall, Renault is currently floating on a cloud of success. At the press day before the showroom opening in Geneva, the new electric Renault Scenic E-Tech was named Car of the Year 2024 by a jury of international experts. And Luca de Meo already has another trump card: at the Paris Motor Show in the autumn, the next retro-futuristic Renault will celebrate its world premiere with the new R4, in line with the current trend for a versatile SUV and fully electric.

BYD and MG want to conquer Switzerland

Aside from the big Renault show, the rest of Geneva almost pales in comparison. For example, it is an important decision for our country that BYD, China’s largest electrical brand, will start selling its first models in Switzerland this summer, together with the Emil Frey Group. Or we can say that an additional Chinese player will appear on our market with inexpensive and attractive models in early May, together with SAIC’s subsidiary MG. Electric MG vehicles will be imported through the Astara Group (including Hyundai, Nissan, KGM, Fiat, Alfa, Jeep) and sold through a network of approximately 25 dealers by the end of 2025. MG Switzerland’s new boss Nicole Sahlmann (52) has big goals: “We want to sell 1,600 MGs in Switzerland this year. “We aim for a 3 percent market share in the medium term.”

It will become clear this evening how great the audience success of the Geneva Motor Show, which is probably the smallest in its 100-year history, is. The future of GIMS depends on this and the interest of the participants. At least the Bundestag remained true to its tradition and sent council member Albert Rösti (56) to this year’s official opening. The Minister of Energy also said the following remarkable sentence during his speech: “The impact of one part per thousand of Switzerland’s CO₂ emissions on the climate is too small to have any impact. “Only by exporting Swiss innovations abroad can we make a major contribution to climate protection.”

Source: Blick