The Brussels Motor Show, a household name among European car shows, must fear for its survival. Large parties drop out for next year’s edition, while the event as a whole could not take place this year.
The Brussels Motor Show is normally the first car show of the year, which is one of the reasons why the event was able to continue in 2020. After all, the corona crisis had not yet started in Europe at the time. At the beginning of this year, however, that threw a spanner in the works, but the organization hopes to be able to organize the fair again in early 2022. Missing one edition alone has not done the fair any good. Traditional car shows have been under pressure for some time from declining car manufacturers and in 2020 and 2021 manufacturers have been able (and should) experiment with alternative ways of presenting their models. This undoubtedly plays a role in the decision of D’Ieteren, the Belgian Volkswagen Group importer, to let Brussels pass by in 2022. The Flemish The Time report that D’Ieteren will not bring the brands to the stock exchange. A huge blow.
The time further states that Stellantis is also likely to miss the fair and that experts now fear for the continued existence of the Motor Show. With an ever shrinking stock market and the failure of these two major players, major question marks are being raised about the right to exist of the stock exchange. The show’s organizer Febiac will make a decision this week whether the 2022 edition will go ahead. If the next edition actually dies, it could well be the end of the fair, also known as the European Motor Show. While the hundredth Salon is only two editions away…