The Geneva International Motor Show is officially dead. The exhibition, which was first held in 1905 and was once the most important event in the automotive industry calendar, has been killed off the organisers couln’t raise enough interest from car makers. 

The show returned in 2024 after a four-year absence due to COVID-19, but iot was less than a quarter of the size of previous shows. 

The board of the Comité permanent du Salon international de l'automobile Foundation said: “there are too many uncertainties linked to the automotive industry and the eroded attractiveness of the major European shows to take the risk of investing further into the future.”

Alexandre de Senarclens, President of the Comité permanent du Salon international de l'automobile Foundation continued: “This extremely regrettable decision should not detract from the efforts and determination with which we have tried to regain our success. However, it has to be said that the lack of interest shown by manufacturers in the Geneva Salon in a difficult industry context, the competition from the Paris and Munich shows which are favoured by their domestic industry, and the investment levels required to maintain such a show, sound the final blow for a future edition.”

At its peak, over 120,000 m2 of hall space and 120 exhibitors put on a show attended by around 10,000 international journalists during the press days, followed by over 600,000 visitors over 11 days.

The Chinese car makers were among the few to support the 2024 show