MG, BYD and Renault headline smaller 2024 Geneva motor show
The Geneva motor show hasn't been held since 2019
Show will host just five mainstream car brands as bosses shift their focus to engaging the public
The organisers of the Geneva motor show have revealed a full list of exhibitors for the 2024 edition, which will kick off at the end of next month in a much smaller and more public-focused format than in previous years.
Renault, Dacia, MG, BYD and Lucid will be the only mainstream car manufacturers at the show, which returns in 2024 after a five-year hiatus, but several well-known lower-volume brands – including Kimera, Microlino, Silence and Totem Automobili – feature in the full list of 29 exhibitors, as well as commercial vehicle firm Isuzu.
Confirmed new car reveals so far include the Renault 5, MG 3 and a new model from Microlino. The winner of the 2024 European Car of the Year award will also be announced.
The 2024 running of the Geneva motor show will be more overtly aimed at the public than in previous years, with the introduction of four new 'experiential' zones designed to showcase the overarching theme of the show: 'Auto. Future. Now'.
There is an Adrenaline Zone dedicated to high-performance vehicles and motorsport, while the Design District will host exhibitions from Pininfarina and storied designer Frank Stephenson, the Mobility Lab will showcase different forms of personal and shared transport, and the Next World area has been designed in partnership with Polyphony Digital to provide a vision of 'the future of automotive'.
As part of that exhibition, Polyphony will display a range of GT Vision concepts designed by car makers for its Gran Turismo racing games.
Show boss Sandro Mesquita told Autocar this push for "bespoke content for the public" is designed to help show goers "decode the theme of Auto Future Now".
He said the different show zones will evolve year by year according to emerging themes and technologies, but "the brands will stay the stars of the show".
Organisers aim to sell 200,000 tickets for this year's event, which runs from 26 February until 3 March. Dates for the 2025 running will be confirmed at the end of this year's event.
The Geneva International Motor Show (GIMS) aims to "increase the number of brands that are present" in following years, said president of the organisation Alexandre de Senarclens, acknowledging the absence in 2024 of all Stellantis, VW Group and Hyundai Motor Group brands, among others.
"We want to be back as the main international motor show in the world," he said. "We had a very important place in that industry before, and we want to regain that.
"We are convinced that we have an important role to play in the revolution of the motor industry, so the idea is to convince not only the public but also all the other brands that will not participate in 2024."
He said GIMS aims to show non-attending car makers that "you do not only sell cars on the internet. The public needs to see and grasp the new models."
De Senarclens believes that the trend towards manufacturers hosting "small events to promote products on the internet" is "not sufficient".
"We are convinced that the motor show will be back and will be bigger in the years to come - and especially for Geneva, which has a special position as an independent place, not related to national constructor brands."
As part of its bid to make exhibiting in Geneva more attractive, GIMS is providing 'plug-and-play' show booths to attendees this year, which minimise set-up costs and time commitments. Bosses stopped short, however, of detailing the cost of attendance for manufacturers.
Mesquita previously told Autocar: “We will have four sizes and exhibitors rent the stand and can then personalise it with their corporate identity.”
He added: “We never asked them to build cathedrals, but we understand they may want to keep control of their image, so we won’t impose plug-and-play booths for everyone. At the end of the day, what’s important is the product. That’s the hero, so we want to give them the best platform to showcase it.”