Last week I wrote that the British International Motor Show wants to grow next year and European carmakers will likely make some big announcements. Unfortunately, Audi and BMW have decided to snob the show according to Autocar.
Both manufacturers join Volkswagen and Rolls Royce. For the Motor Show, this is a major blow as both car makers have a strong brand image. British won’t have the opportunity to see the future R8 Spider before 2009 unless they go to Paris Motor Show. This new blow raises the question of the opportunity of a the British International Motor Show.
Actually, the British Motor Show is too close to the Paris Motor Show. While the British show got less than 500,000 visitors, Paris welcomed 1.5 million visitors. The press coverage is also bigger in Paris where car makers unveil their latest creation expecting to make a big impact.
It is true that the 2006 British International Motor Show was a good opportunity for Opel/Vauxhall to unveil the latest Corsa, but disappointing sales of the outgoing models have pushed it at the bottom of the sales charts and everybody had forgotten it. It was a bet made by Vauxhall and it worked well. But British market is Opel’s largest market and Opel/Vauxhall has a special status in our country. Other car makers aren’t in the same situation and Paris is a much better location to tap into the European market.
Once again, the British International Motor Show will likely become a regional show that national press coverage will try to make us to forget and believe in a better future for British car aficionados.
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