Members of the press at the Paris Motor Show on Friday. Credit AFP
Paris: In 2014, no fewer than 1.25 million people filled the Paris Motor Show floor to ogle the latest from Bugatti, BMW, Maserati, and Mercedes-Benz during the first week in October. The biennial show was the industry?s most populated event that year.
If those people return, they will likely be disappointed.
This year, fewer marques than ever in modern times will devote the time and considerable expense to attend this weekend?s Parisian debuts. To them, in an era when social media and live video feeds disseminate new-car images and information instantaneously worldwide, it just isn?t worth it. And for ultra-luxury brands, their best buyers never really frequented car shows anyway. ?At the moment we are revising our strategy at international motor shows, considering the positioning of our brand and the market in which we operate,? said Stefano Domenicali, the chief executive officer of Lamborghini, in an email. ?We are choosing thoroughly how to present ourselves to clients, media, and enthusiasts, including the choice of the right locations [where] we want to be.?
Stephanie Brinley, an senior automotive analyst for IHS Markit research firm, said it?s a question of fluctuating priorities and timing. The strategy started during the recession when some automakers missed shows to save money?-and face, if they didn?t have much to market?-because the market was in turmoil. Since then, the internet and social medi...