The redemption of the motor show begins in Paris

Those who have been there know it: the Mondial de l'Auto in Paris has brought back to life the concept of the 'old-fashioned' car show. It is a rehabilitation won in the field thanks to content, organisational strategy and, of course, the complex market environment that favoured the participation of many manufacturers.

At the time we are publishing this article, the turnstiles of the fair are still turning, so it is too early to talk about numbers, but the enthusiasm of insiders and the midweek turnout is tangible. So much so that the director of the Mondial de l'Auto, Serge Gachot, can hardly contain his satisfaction.

Director, so it was not true that the Salons are dead?

'They are not dead at all, but it was difficult. You cannot have shows with five or six brands. Beijing and Shanghai work well on the world's biggest car market. Japan has a lot of visitors but it is a regional event. Detroit is still difficult. Today there is not much else. We have been supported by the domestic industry...'.

Are you referring to Renault?

'Yes the Renault Group and Luca De Meo who announced the presence of five brands, a year in advance. That helped us. Then we did a good job, collaborating with the car manufacturers with the aim of guaranteeing a return on investment. And containing costs. Paris costs EUR 185 per square metre, the same price as two years ago. But the most important thing is the ROI'.

Mondial de l'Auto director, Serge Gachot; Stellantis CEO, Carlos Tavares; and French President, Emmanuel Macron.

Which depends first and foremost on the audience...

"Our concept is the celebration of the automobile, the freedom of movement. People want this. I tried to listen to the people and the companies, they told me that you have to make a car show not a mobility show: you have to be car-centric.

Eighty per cent of the French love cars, which have made enormous progress in terms of reducing emissions as well. We are a virtuous industry, we don't need to hide.

Being in Paris obviously helps. On the first day of opening to the public we had 50,000 people: it's a big party with people coming and paying. They are not here by chance'.

How much did the presence of the new Chinese brands influence this?

"In 2022 Chinese brands were 50% of the attendance, 9 out of 18. Today they are 8 out of 50, less than 20%. It is obvious that the other companies needed to defend their territory against the Chinese. Then there are the models. When there are models to be presented, it is easier to come to a motor show.

And then there is the complex political situation in Europe: I heard for the first time CEOs and managers who wanted to talk more about corporate issues than product issues, such as the 2035 halt or duties. There were so many meetings, public and private. The industry was here to talk to each other, to confront each other. And this is important even if they may not all agree.

I would add a positive aspect that is not very tangible: the motivation of the people. The dealers are motivated, the employees, the supply chain... You can't measure it in numbers, but the atmosphere is important'.

How do you judge the absence of the luxury brands, those that produce supercars? Ferrari for the first time in history presented a 'hypercar' (the F80 - ed.) separate of a motor show.

"It's a phenomenon that comes from afar. Their choice to do exclusive things organised on their own or in different ecosystems is nothing new. You have to recover them because in the DNA of a motor show there is passion and you also sell supercars: the Parisian market is rich.

In 2022, we had a space for small French manufacturers. Devaillet registered 22 cars. There was a two million euro Delage. All it takes is for someone to pass by who may not have known the brand before... I believe that if we are successful this year, we will help companies to change their minds.

I have to show the special cars to the public anyway and that is why we brought racing cars with a local distributor and driving simulators. We have Bentley with the new Continental GT, Rolls-Royce, Aston Martin, the Lamborghini of a YouTuber like POG. The problem is that the official dealers wanted to participate, but the brands forbade them...'.

In your opinion, will this Mondial change the future of shows?

'Now in Europe we have an annual event, one year in France and one year in Germany, in Munich.

In Paris we cannot return to 1 million visitors with only one week of the event, but we want to grow. We have brought the automotive world together again. We brought 5,000 journalists and we expect a minimum of 500,000 visitors...

The important thing is to listen to the companies, measure the results and do. I was a director at Toyota and Lexus. I was a customer at the shows and I know all the problems and needs. 

And then contrary to what people say, in the digital age, digital is not everything. We are at 5% of sales in that area. People want to see, try and touch. We all need to find ourselves".

20

Source: Motor1.com