Montreal Auto Show | A changing event

Brands’ enthusiasm for this type of event is resurgent. This is what will determine whether the 2023 edition was a swan song – some 150,000 entries – or, on the contrary, the beginning of a new lease of life.

Recreational vehicles (motorcycles and boats), a string of collectible Ferraris, a space dedicated to competition cars and seven more manufacturers… The Montreal Auto Show, which will open its doors on January 19 in the metropolis, looking to get a makeover. The management of this high mass has become aware of the need to broaden its centers of interest.

“It’s about going beyond just the presentation of new models. We want to integrate this event into the more general issue of mobility,” argues Luis Pereira, director of the event. Clearly, “we must put an end to this false idea that the Montreal Auto Show is an exhibition of gas tanks.” This Montreal event has been concerned about the environment for a long time and has been keen to promote it. In addition to its green zones, previously dedicated to the least polluting vehicles, the Montreal Auto Show was also the launching pad in the early 1990s for the wheel motor from Hydro-Québec (Traction Couture group). In addition, over the years, educational efforts have been made to inform the choices of those who want to switch to electric mobility.

The 2024 edition of this celebration dedicated to 125 years of the automobile in the metropolis will mark the return of Ford, Lincoln, Genesis, Infiniti, Mitsubishi, McLaren and Volkswagen. All manufacturers present in 2023 (see our list) will be back, with the exception of Subaru. The Japanese brand prefers to favor “new means of communication this year,” according to Cynthia Bouris, vice-president of marketing at Subaru Canada. The latter does not close the door to a return of the brand to the star cluster next year.

The organizers of the Montreal show, however, endeavored to correct the situation in the face of criticisms made by visitors.

The total surface area occupied at the Palais des Congrès has tripled (now three exhibition levels compared to just one in 2023) and the “customer experience” has been redesigned.

Luis Pereira and his team are aware that there is a slope to climb. The last edition, he admits, disappointed several visitors due to the high number of absentees. “We must remember,” he defends, “that we were the first Canadian show to reopen our doors in a post-pandemic context, and without forgetting the supply problems linked, among other things, to the shortage of semiconductors. »

The Montreal Auto Show does not intend to stop there and is reflecting on the identity crisis experienced by all the other major auto shows. Several of them now call themselves mobility fairs (Munich, Tokyo and soon Paris) in order to bring together all the mobility players under one roof. “Consultations with manufacturers, dealers and obviously the public are continuing to define the future of the Show,” recognizes Mr. Pereira. The 2024 edition will undoubtedly prove everything.