International car show to return to Geneva

Visitors check out the wares at the Geneva International Motor Show in 2019 © Keystone / Laurent Gillieron

The Geneva International Motor Show is set to return to Geneva in 2024 after a four-year absence.

“A contract has been signed with Palexpo,” said its directorExternal link, Sandro Mesquita, in the Tribune de Genève newspaper.

After three cancellations due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the 2023 event was also cancelled. Citing global geopolitical and economic uncertainties, which have prevented many brands from committing to Geneva, the organisers have scheduled a motor show in October in Doha, Qatar.

Mesquita said there is no competition between the two venues. “They are complementary events whose success will benefit both. In any case, there was never any question of leaving Geneva.”

In 2019 the Geneva International Motor Show brought together 150 brands and more than 600,000 visitors on 110,000 m2, while the event in Qatar intends to attract 70 brands and 200,000 visitors on 30,000 m2.

However, Mesquita noted that “it is the car brands that will have the last word”. “Many brands are now skipping the shows, others are coming back,” he said.

Founded in 1905 and re-established in 1923, the Geneva International Motor Show was the largest event in the country and one of the five major vehicle exhibitions in the world.