Brussels fills the void left by the Geneva and Frankfurt motor shows

Since the German stock exchange has been canceled and the Swiss one has moved to Qatar, the Belgian presents the commercial offer

The Brussels Motor Show is an event on the Belgian calendar. Only in the week in which it is open at the beginning of January, about 25% of the sales of the dealers in the country are settled.
The event will celebrate its centenary in 2023 and it takes on a new relevance that suggests it could fill the void left by the industry’s major events in Europe: Geneva and Frankfurt.

The main difference between the Swiss, German or French shows, traditionally devoted to revealing automotive innovations, and the Belgian ones, which are eminently commercial, is who pays the bill. In traditional salons, this falls on the manufacturers themselves, while in the second it is the dealers
who rents the fair. So while brands gradually moved away from salons, to the point of not being present at major events like Paris, practically all of the commercial offerings currently available in Europe could be seen in Brussels.

«In the hundredth edition of the Salon,
Brussels strengthens its position among the international automotive events,” said Andreas Cremer, president of the Febiac manufacturers’ association, which organizes the fair. “Our location and the absence of a Belgian manufacturer make it an ideal place for the fair.”

Of course, it was precisely these two qualities that made Geneva stand out as the standard designation of the European automotive sector. By 2023, this fair will be held for the first time in Doha, Qatar.

The fact that Brussels is a trade fair did not prevent manufacturers from taking advantage of it
to bring out the heavy artillery. From small aesthetic changes or the introduction of new engines ready for the market, to ‘concept cars’ of the future, cars that have not been seen before and exclusive historic and ultra-luxury models.

Even if it is for example
Dacia released its ‘concept’ Manifesto, the moon buggy he presented for the Paris Motor Show, the main place was reserved for two more innovations that were within everyone’s reach: the first hybrid engine in its history, for the Jogger; and a more powerful powertrain for its affordable zero-emission Spring urban SUV.

Of
the end of the internal combustion engine on the horizon, electric cars were one of the protagonists in Brussels. In the Stellantis space, which took up half of a pavilion, the Madrid-produced Citroën C4 stood out, along with the Abarth 500e, the new Opel Astra or the Jeep Avenger, all with zero-emission engines.

One of the merits of the Belgian show being focused on vehicles for sale and not future technologies – although there were several interesting ‘concepts’,
such as Volkswagen ID sedanthe Mini Aceman or the Audi Grandsphere, among others – is that there wasn’t much presence of micromobility or autonomous driving systems or hydrogen engines.

But that doesn’t mean there wasn’t room for innovation. Mazda unveils the return to the market of its legendary rotary engine after more than a decade of discontinuation
the sports car RX-8. This is now used as a generator for the batteries of the MX-30 plug-in hybrid. On the high-performance side, there was a Rimac refrigerator, the fastest electric car in the world – reaching 100 km/h in less than 2 seconds – or the Bugatti Chiron, an ode to advanced engineering, with a W16 engine . delivers 1,500 horsepower, the same as the refrigerator, but with combustion. Both have a price of more than two million euros.

Another reality that became clear in Brussels is that Chinese brands have already landed in Europe and are competing with Western manufacturers. Some of them, like BYD, did
with spaces larger than Tesla itself. The Han, Atto 3 and Tang models are starting their commercial offensive in Europe – they started with the countries with the best charging network – and will soon arrive in Spain.

Although BYD is the largest zero-emission car manufacturer in the world by volume, some of its competitors such as DFSK or Seres were also present.

But especially one of the most anticipated brands under the new management of the Chinese Geely also showed two of its new models. Lotus was present with the Emira, its latest combustion engine sports car, and the Eletre, its first zero-emission SUV.

Given the
Belgium has no national manufacturers, the importer groups have considerable clout. The D’ieteren group is listed on the stock exchange and is responsible for the distribution of the entire Volkswagen group in the country, from Cupra, present with the Urban Rebel, to Lamborghini, which brought the Huracán Sterrato, adapted to cross gravel roads from 305,000 euros. The entire offering was in a single pavilion dedicated to the company.

But even the major groups of importers are not immune to trends in the automotive market.
D’ieteren wants to become a mobility provider. As such, they are the owners of the main car-sharing service in Brussels and one of the operators of shared bicycles in the capital.

Source: La Verdad

Ida

I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.