Automotive News Europe — 2024-04-18
Automotive Industry
Renault, BMW and Stellantis brands will be headlining the show, while Chinese brands are noticeably absent from the October 2023 event.
After sharing the spotlight with Chinese brands at recent auto shows, European automakers will again take center stage at the 2024 Paris auto show in October 2024, led by Renault Group, BMW Group and Stellantis.
As of mid-April 2024, 10 brands have committed to the show, which will be held from 14 to 20 October 2024 at the Paris Expo Center. They include Renault Group’s three brands, Renault, Dacia and Alpine; and Stellantis’ three French marques, Citroen, DS and Peugeot. The Stellantis brands’ participation was confirmed by people with knowledge of the decision.
BMW Group, with its brands BMW and Mini, will also be there, as will Kia, the automakers said.
The lone Chinese brand that has committed to the show is Seres.
BMW and Kia’s presence at the Paris show after skipping 2022 points to increasing concerns that European automakers have about the growing presence of Chinese brands in Europe.
BMW and its German rivals Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen Group skipped the Geneva show in February 2024, as did Stellantis. That left Renault and Dacia as the only major European automakers exhibiting, while across the hall BYD and MG had stands with several new or future models destined for Europe.
Brands that told Automotive News Europe that they will not participate in the Paris show include Mercedes-Benz, the VW Group brands Cupra and Seat, Ford, Hyundai, Jeep, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Suzuki, and Geely brands Volvo, Polestar and Zeekr.
Several automakers remain undecided or have not responded to questions about their participation, including the remaining VW Group brands, Toyota, and Stellantis’ non-French brands such as Alfa Romeo, Fiat and Lancia.
Notable by their absence are the main Chinese brands aiming to make a dent in the European market: MG, BYD, Chery and Great Wall, including associated subbrands.
At the last Paris show, in 2022, BYD – which is vying with Tesla to be the world’s biggest EV maker -- had a large stand with a range of models, as it did at the 2023 Munich auto show and the 2024 Geneva auto show. MG, the best-selling Chinese brand in Europe, was also present at those three events.
Other key Chinese brands that have not committed to Paris include Leapmotor, which has a new partnership with Stellantis; Xpeng, which has announced its own tie-up with VW; Aiways; and Nio.
Chinese brands are facing a charged political environment in Europe, as the EU’s competition authorities are investigating whether Beijing’s support of domestic automakers gives them an unfair advantage. Results of that inquiry, which started in September 2023 and could include extra tariffs on Chinese-built cars, are expected this autumn.
Already, France has pulled EV subsidies for cars made in China, including the Dacia Spring from Renault Group.
Key debuts have not been announced yet, but models from French brands expected to have their first public unveiling – even if revealed earlier -- include the Alpine A290 electric hot hatch, the Renault 4Ever small electric SUV and Symbioz compact SUV, the Dacia Bigster compact SUV, and the Citroen C3 Aircross small SUV.
BMW could show a production version of the Vision Neue Klasse X SUV. The show will be an opportunity for BMW to present "its strong, future-oriented product offering, which is helping to redefine the contours of today's and tomorrow's automobile," the company said in announcing it would be in Paris.
Traditional auto shows have lost influence in recent years, as brands try to control their narratives and press coverage on social media or through dedicated events.
A Mercedes spokesman said the brand was "continuously evaluating our individual communication platforms” including "our presence at international auto shows.”
"It is important to us to have an intelligent portfolio of traditional and new platforms,” the spokesman said, and "therefore, Mercedes will not participate in the 2024 Paris auto show.”
But with a tightening auto market and increased pricing pressure, automakers may be expanding their marketing scope. Earlier in 2024, Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares said he would review marketing efforts, specifically pointing to the Jeep brand, which has lost share in the US and Europe.