Brussels Motor Show was killed by ‘no’ from D’Ieteren | Auto55.be

HThe Brussels Motor Show will not take place next year. And whether the stock market will ever come back is an open question.

The fact that the Brussels Motor Show could open its doors at the beginning of this year was already a victory. Many international car shows died during the corona epidemic. Their existence was already under pressure – because new marketing trends dictate that brands do not want to share the attention of their new products with competitors. Brussels Motor Show had to go back. It was about half the size, but not half the price. Of course there are no motorcycles, only a few brand cars that were there… but it was there. There were even victories – the fact that the winner of the prestigious Brussels Car of the Year election was announced, for example. A real celebratory version was made: the 100th Brussels motor show – actually a lie because it was only the 99th.

The 2023 Brussels Motor Show was so successful that…

“is a D’Ieteren importer that kills the organization“

However, the guest did not have to complain only about the price or the reduced dimensions. For the individual, it was often a meditation salon. Cars have suddenly become very expensive. Last year there was only a 25 percent increase in prices in one year. The result: only the commercial vehicle market with its enhanced models and tax-reduced purchase or lease is thriving. Car brands changed the cars shown for this. Many visitors remained hungry. The mainstream media wrote it all up under the guise of elaborately sponsored propaganda. The salon proved to be a huge success and a new version for 2024 was certain.

The January 2024 exhibition, which had already been announced with celebration and would have been the hundredth edition, has now died before it could well and truly begin. The reason: organizer Febiac cannot convince enough brands to participate. No names are officially mentioned, but it is the importer D’Ieteren who kills the organization. It distributes, among others, Volkswagen, Skoda, Audi, Seat, Bentley, Porsche, Rimac, Bugatti, Cupra and Microlino in our country. ‘No’ from D’Ieteren directly means that the organizer cannot achieve his goal of showing at least two thirds of the brands available on the market. So end of story. “That could undermine the quality of justice,” it appears in the official response.

However, there were very few importers who were interested in the new version. Stellantis (Opel, Peugeot, Citroën, DS, Alfa-Romeo, Fiat, Jeep), Astara (Suzuki, Hyundai, Isuzu…) and Renault (Renault, Alpine, Dacia), among others, preferred. Or how the big levels of brands in the automotive sector also turn such a show into a power play… A large number of brands doubt whether the Brussels Motor Show will ever return. Reasonable suspicion, if you see the fate of other car shows. These are also different times: expensive cars, electricity supply, covid and chip shortages…

January is car month

So there is no Brussels Motor Show, but January will be car month. Car brands will look for alternatives. After all, most car brands donate a third of their annual sales to individuals in and around the show season. So car brands will use January as car month – although of course it’s still too early to have firm plans for this. Or at least: BMW has already organized its ‘car salon’ at its headquarters in Bornem during the corona crisis and is now considering doing so again.