The 88th Geneva International Motor Show, Switzerland’s biggest annual event, officially opened on Thursday. Some 700,000 visitors are expected over the next 11 days.
The event, which features 180 of the world’s largest and most prestigious car makers, was inaugurated by the Swiss defence and sport minister, Guy Parmelin, and will run until March 18 in the Palexpo convention centre near Geneva airport.
Parmelin, who arrived by train and then by foot, used the occasion to push a message that transport – whether public or private – should be adapted to the needs of all.
“Punctuality, ecology, security: these are the three principles of modern mobility,” he said. “And in pushing them, we ourselves are pushed to encourage public transport, especially rail.”
However, he pointed out that not everyone lives, works or shops in urban settings, or even close to a train station. Therefore, it would be wrong to play off different modes of transport against each other, he concluded.
Different type of body
This year, the show has also opened under the shadow of wider global trends, including the tariffs heralded by US President Donald Trump’s promised trade war, and the re-evaluation of women’s roles that the MeToo movement has set in motion.
The Lausanne-based Le Temps newspaper wrote on WednesdayExternal link that the traditional use of scantily clad women to help promote the vehicles is changing, with many car makers opting to forgo the flesh in the face of reputational threat.
“The hostesses sparkle by their absence,” the paper said, echoing a shift that has perhaps been in the making for longer than the lifetime of current movements. And although the AP news service also reports less skin than in previous years, “leggy and heavily made-up models still adorn the stands”, it writes.
François Launaz, president of car importers association Auto Suisse, told Le Temps that he didn’t understand the focus on the female roles. Car manufacturers were free to promote their vehicles however they like, he said. “Like many people, I come to the show to admire the cars.”
This content was published on
A majority of Swiss citizens have open attitudes towards various infertility treatments, including even egg donation, which is currently prohibited.
Reports of Swiss cyber fraud almost doubled in six months
This content was published on
The head of the new Federal Office for Cybersecurity (FOC), Florian Schütz, has presented a new strategy after just over four months in office.
Ecological status of Swiss streams insufficient according to study
This content was published on
Pesticide use and obstructions of waterways have a particularly negative impact on sensitive organisms, completely absent in 70% of streams analysed.
Train line between Brig and Domodossola interrupted
This content was published on
One day after a derailment approximately 15 kilometres from the Swiss border, BLS is running buses for passengers between Preglia and Domodossola, in Italy.
Swiss football boss wants crackdown on individual hooligans
This content was published on
The head of the Swiss Football League says he prefers a harsher approach to individual hooligans rather than collective punishment measures affecting all fans.
Amherd: Council of Europe is ‘as urgently needed as ever’
This content was published on
The Swiss government emphasised on Sunday the vital role of the Strasbourg-based Council of Europe, 75 years after it was founded.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Sashes to sashes: the death of Miss Switzerland?
This content was published on
Ever since Switzerland’s Stefanie Job won the inaugural Miss Europe in 1928, slim young Swiss girls have strutted around stages in swimming costumes being graded, usually by older men. But whereas public disapproval drove such shows from television screens elsewhere in Europe decades ago – the BBC announced in 1984 that it would “stop televising…
This content was published on
Car show models force car companies to think hard about the image they want to project. A Nissan manager told swissinfo.ch that every year the company discusses whether it still wants to use models at the Geneva event. The consensus is that beautiful women are more likely to draw the attention of photographers. They certainly…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.