[volkman10]

The digital era is transforming the way automakers introduce vehicles - how relevant will be the Auto shows in the future?


2018 Auto Expo N Delhi : VAG group, Ford, Volvo, FCA,Nissan, to name a few who did not participate.

2019 Detroit Motor Show: German car makers Audi, BMW, Mercedes Benz. Others including Mazda, Mini, Volvo, Porsche, Mitsubishi, Jaguar and Land Rover will not participate.


2018 Paris Motor Show : Reports indicate Volkswagen will be skipping this show. If so then It would be the ninth automaker to announce its absence from the major event held once every two years.
Besides Volkswagen, other automakers believed to skip the 2018 Paris Auto Show include Ford, Infiniti, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Opel and Volvo.

Volkswagen statement says that they could organize test drives in the city during the event.they will present new products by organizing their own events.
This has become common practice among many carmakers during these past few years, and Volkswagen will probably do it when it comes to the T-Cross small SUV, which was reportedly expected to debut in Paris.

For BMW it started in 2011 at the unveiling of its M5 sport sedan . The car had to jockey for attention among nearly 50 production vehicles debuting at the Frankfurt auto show.

Last year, the automaker went a very different route to generate buzz for the sixth- generation M5 without having to share the spotlight.

It revealed the car in a video game

The 2018 M5 showed up in teasers for "Need for Speed Payback" last summer before appearing at a gaming convention and then an esports competition at an arena in Paris. After all that, BMW finally showed it to auto journalists at the Frankfurt show in September

Its all now about digital marketing . A concept unthinkable a few years ago now takes center stage.

The shift has left many of the big international auto shows grasping for answers as brands increasingly connect with consumers through Instagram and YouTube instead.

Automakers have increasingly decided it's more worth their money to host private introductions at far-off locations in between auto shows, letting journalists spend a day or two with a vehicle instead of doing just a quick walk-around sandwiched between other unveilings.

Private invites are the in thing now:

Instead of spending $1 million on a Detroit press conference, Honda unveiled its revived Insight hybrid at a holiday media gathering in December, though attendees had to agree not to publish pictures or details until the week of the auto show

Auto Show are expensive:

Auto shows have become very expensive. Just doing press conferences is some staggering cost.

The plan to add more outdoor and test-drive opportunities for Detroit attendees is something automakers are asking for.


With this new trend it will be a wait and watch situation to know how relevant are the Auto shows in the coming years. But one thing is certain it has set a trend for manufacturers to have their own event which generate more coverage and relevance.


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[GTO]

Fantastic thread - thanks for sharing!

In India, there is only one car show worth talking about - The Auto Expo. It's definitely going to be around for the longest time, thanks in no small part due to it being the only show in town, the North India location, sheer size and that it's held just once in two years.

That said, its importance & relevance have surely diminished. At one time, unveiling your new car at the Auto Expo was mandatory. With the internet having changed the media scene, that's hardly the case today. Several manufacturers skipped the Auto Expo this year (Ford, VW, Bajaj, Jaguar etc.). One can't argue with their decision as the 10 - 20 crore rupees spent at the Expo can be better used elsewhere (e.g. standalone events). Personally though, I don't agree with their decision of being absent at the biggest auto event in India. IMHO, this is one of the things you have to do, whether you like it or not.

But the fact remains, the Auto Expo has moved from being a 'mandatory expense' to a 'discretionary expense' for many car makers.

Internationally, the scene is very different. For instance, USA has multiple car shows every year. And many of them have seen dwindling participation numbers (brands & audience, both). There is also competition from shows focused on electronics & tech.

[sumitdongerkery]

I still remember my school days when indian market was not much opened up. DCM cielo and Rover montego were the most premium cars available. Auto shows during those days was something i used to eagerly look upto. So many updates and so much information you gather. But offlate things are way too different.

It looks like a complete half hearted effort put in by the participants. Why would someone want to display their quick selling cars? Idea of attending an auto show is to get exposed to what you are not majorly aware of. You don't want to see an XUV or a Bolero on display. My office at BKC is just across the ground where these shows are put up in Mumbai but I have been missing it consistently in last 2 years. For me attending these car shows are more to pick up accessories or car grooming kits. Nothing more than that.

Cheers

[ObsessedByFIAT]

I for one feel Auto Expo is sheer waste of money. Component shows, yes, they do add value and manufactures do get a chance to display / demo thier products. In some cases they are really innovative. The internet though wide spread and accessible to most, yet, nothing beats the actual 'touch and feel'.

For cars and bikes, I feel, internet suffices as they just have to make the public aware of the new offerings. That alone does not mandate / should not mandate spending big money. Instead they can include it in thier marketing budget or standalone events. Manufacturer can also think of investing the amount saved in R&D projects.

[glikithvinayaka]

It probably still holds some amount of significance, atleast for new car manufacturer introducing it's product in a new market. Take KIA for example, they displayed over 15 cars in the Delhi Auto Expo 2018 and by far had the biggest crowd(after BMW and Mercedes obviously).
Auto Expo for passenger vehicles doesn't attract the average family for a weekend outing other than any enthusiast. If something exotic is present then the tickets will sell.

But I for one feel however digital the world gets, experiencing a car by looking at it in person and sitting in it will always be the ultimate experience.

[Jeroen]

It is certainly a trend that has probably been going on for the last 10-15 years and seems to be continuing.

In general I would say it is to be expected as the status of cars is changing. When I grew up, not everybody had a car. When somebody in our street bought a new car, all neighbours would come out and look and congratulate the proud owner (always the dad in those days).

Little boys like me would be fascinated with all cars, not just the fancy ones. It was reflected in our toys as well. Remember Dinkey Toys, Corgi toys, Matchbox.

I remember toyshops in those days had hundreds and hundreds of toy cars for sale. Check out a modern toyshop these days and some might hardly stock any, let alone have a variety of different models.

My dad used to take me and my friends to the yearly car show. One of the big events of the year!

For many people in the world cars have become just utensils. It’s something you just happen to have, because it’s useful, convenient etc.

In various other threads we have discussed the trend that young people (late / early twenties) have far lesser interest in cars or at least car ownership.

Car-usage is actively discouraged in many Metro-cities around the world, mostly for environmental reason. And many metropoles offer good if not better alternatives, metro/tram/bus/cycle/walk/taxi/Uber etc.

In Western Europe the various car shows have struggled over the last decade and some have stopped. They are experimenting with the format, but without a doubt there are fewer car shows and even if there is a car show, fewer manufacturers are participating.

On the up side; if you are into classic cars (e.g. like me ) the number of classic car shows has been steadily increasing over the last decade. At least here in Western Europe. More shows, bigger shows, more cars, more diversity in what is on offer. A whole new car industry has fallen into place. And we also see more car manufacturers jumping onto this band wagon. Mercedes, BMW, Audi always catered for their classic car owners. But other brands (E.g. Jaguar) has recently launched similar initiatives.

You want to visit a car show? Better get used to looking at Vintage cars, rather than new cars!!

Jeroen

[ganesh_evo75]

Auto Expo of all kinds may look getting less of importance, especially for active netizens but IMO its just a matter of thoughts for or against these Expo's.
It will be good to see the statistics of numbers of visitors since 2012 to 2018, which will really tell us the truth & trend for the same. Also as fellow members have pointed out and what i really feel as an enthusiast, it is real pleasure and superb experience to practically feel them in flesh to know them first hand, study them physically, getting the compete know how of the models displayed and the company vision, plan's etc. But also important is the approach you have when you visit Expo. Yes, you have to have a lot of patience, time, planning and dedication to spend time at every pavilion, every stall with expectation and curiosity, desire to gain the knowledge and facts and figures. The physical preparation and urge, with lot of scheduled time can only make you FEEL the real benefits of visiting at Expo personally.
I know there are many peoples (family members, relatives, friends, colleagues, etc) who follow or get in touch with us to update themselves when its time to ask our opinion on any new/ used Car, Bike or anything Automobile.That is the time when you feel proud and worthiness of attending Expo's. Also the amount of media coverage it gets,makes the Expo to stay here for many long year's to come.

[GeeTee TSI]

My personal feeling from attending the last three Auto Expos at Noida, more cars are off limits - barricaded and guarded, the enthusiast in me cringes at the mad rush for selfies with the cars relegated to the background

At least in India, I find little opportunity for quality touch-and-feel experience at expos. If there's a car which particularly interests me, in future I am more likely to check it out in detail at showrooms.

[NiInJa]

In developing countries like India, Auto shows do help manufacturers as well as consumers get good insights into each other. Say for example, KIA motors showcased quite a few cars to get discussions started in casual office meetings or dinners. I don't think they would have made enough splash if they had organized an event in a certain luxury hotel. Of course, it would have been on the internet but then KIA has always been on the internet. People here would get a touch-and-feel of their potential ownership which is needed. Honda showcased the beloved Civic, so people who have seen it in person know how good the car is and will spread the word and people looking for an upgrade might just wait for it to launch.

Bajaj might disagree, but their flagship the Dominar garnered enough attention at the expo for folks to eagerly wait for the product to launch. It also gives a good idea of where the company is heading. For example, TVS came up with the Zeppelin, so we know TVS is cooking something in the cruiser department. I don't know what Bajaj is up to by their absence at the expo.

I think in India, they are here to stay for sometime. As for developed countries of Europe, the final nail on the coffin was probably the Royal couple taking their first drive in an 'electrified' vintage E-Type yesterday

[ashutoshb]

An auto show, in my opinion, should be a place where manufacturers can showcase the latest they have to offer. Where, prospective buyers, enthusiasts, can go see, feel, sit in the cars they desire or admire.

Unfortunately, the Auto Expo has become a circus, a mela (a village fair) of sorts.

I skipped the last two shows. Went this year, on the second last day, only to see the H5X in metal.

The place was swarming with selfie crazy people who, it appeared, had nothing to with cars. It was literally like a circus. I saw people, getting a selfie with a Bolero, an Indigo. One of the most common vehicles on the road. Many would get one, with a booth girl in the background. So, you get the picture.

I deliberately chose to visit in the business hours, but even then, the place was brimmed, with people who clearly didn't pay to be there at that time.

My voice is not of an elitist, but of an enthusiast, who actually wanted to ask relevant questions, meet designers, engineers, see how the leg room in a particular car was like or just see the gizmos of an upcoming electric vehicle. But, all of that is not possible in a place like Auto Expo, in its current form.

Most of the concepts and expensive vehicles were kept at a distance from the crowd. But here, I would agree with the exhibitors. Because, I could see people abusing the cars which were open to be explored. But then, it results in a loss for people like us.

I left the place within 30 minutes. It had taken me an hour to reach the place. On my way back, I kept thinking whether there should be separate days for enthusiasts. But, who would decide that scale? And knowing the 'pass' culture we have, even that wouldn't help.

Coming to the question posted in the thread title. IMHO, Auto Shows will not vanish, but they might evolve into something else. Something, which would be much smaller in scale and targeted towards a more specific audience. Unlike the song and dance show right now, which pulls a different kind of crowd.

And, OT, I am all for ending the booth girls culture. It should be stopped.

[Akshitsi]

It is true that this time, the Auto expo was not as exciting as the previous years and it wasn't spread out so well either. The whole showcase event was so small that you could see about everything in under 2 hours. So many Automakers were solely missed, including VAG group (Skoda, Audi, Porsche), Ford, Volvo, Fiat to name a few.
IMO, it was essential for Audi and Volvo to mark their presences for the only fact that they're ranked lower than BMW and MB in the luxury car sales and this could be the one reason because they are not doing enough activities and events like these. Lately, I have seen a lot of BMWs and Mercs at malls, etc. But never one of them. Kudos to Kia though for stealing the show, otherwise the whole event would have been nothing but a waste.
And if we talk about the world, I think the scenario is pretty much the same as each car manufacturer is moving towards cost cutting as they've reached the saturation point of product line-up. Hopefully, in the coming years when electric-tech takes over, we can expect a better participation from manufacturers for the reason being the fact that they will have to recreate the brand image which they once had.

[volkman10]

Originally Posted by volkman10

2018 Paris Motor Show : Reports indicate Volkswagen will be skipping this show. If so then It would be the ninth automaker to announce its absence from the major event held once every two years.
Besides Volkswagen, other automakers believed to skip the 2018 Paris Auto Show include Ford, Infiniti, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Opel and Volvo.

As expected FCA pulls out the 2018 Paris Auto show,


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[ajmat]

I echo Jeroen's thoughts. Visiting a toy shop in the late '60's, early '70's was like going to a car showroom. My not so car loving parents would take me to the motorshow at Earls Court. I remember the Range Rover launch and the Citroen DS revolving headlights vividly.

The last UK show, I attended was the 1993 one. It was still good fun.

Maybe, I've grown up, I found Geneva 2016 interesting but tiring. Even on a press day, it was difficult to get into the fancier cars. Nowadays cars shows can be classified as follows:-

• Detroit - Release of US Metal and US centric SUVs
• Paris - Previews of anything french cars and also smaller mainstream European cars. Also preview of revisions for the next year updates
• Geneva - VW group showcase + concept car showcase + exotic car releases
• Frankfurt - Germans giving it all its best, also concepts shown in final production guise. Introduction of the models to the public after the media event.
• Dubai - Window for Mansory + Kahn variations
• Shanghai - Chinese market cars + European limousines
• Los Angeles - Convertibles
• Delhi - India market cars only

Some manufacturers now use the motor shows to show the concept and have their own event to release the car. Skoda and Audi come to mind. The other problem is that there are no surprises, you no longer get surprised with a sudden introduction.

[zalaps]

Originally Posted by ajmat

[*]Geneva - VW group showcase + concept car showcase + exotic car releases

I always remember & look forward to Geneva just for Tata Motors. I think Tata always makes sure that they have something ready for Geneva.

[volkman10]

Volvo Officially claims to skip all Auto Shows (as of now). Will skip the 2019 Geneva Motor Show.

Instead, the Swedish car maker will focus on developing its own events in a bid to target “a new mix of audiences”.

Volvo Cars announced its new communication strategy, which involves moving away from auto shows

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