The Hyundai ix35 is one car you won't see at the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show
Hyundai has become the last major, non-domestic car manufacturer to pull out of the Tokyo Motor Show.
But times they are a changing – in more ways than one. The reluctance of some of the big car makers to stump up big bucks to exhibit at motor shows in these difficult times has made the glitzy car shows a little less glitzy than they once were. Even the Frankfurt Motor Show, one of the biggest on the calendar, suffered a drop of 15% in numbers this year compared to 2007 (850,000, down from 1 million).
But the Interweb has also played a big part. The weekly or monthly car magazine was once the only place to get the latest news and pictures. I used to wait impatiently for the latest copy of Car Magazine to drop through my letterbox to drool over the latest exotica; catch up with news; read opinion from the knowledgeable. But you can now get car news as it happens, together with endless imagery, at the click of a mouse.
And it looks like the Tokyo Motor Show – which runs from October 24th to November 4th – is going to suffer from the double whammy of the Interweb and the Economy in a bigger way than most. It has just been revealed that the last major, non-domestic car maker – Hyundai – has pulled out, citing ‘The Economy’ as the reason. Which leaves the Tokyo Motor Show with just domestic offerings, plus Lotus (!) and Alpina from Germany.
We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again. The Motor Show as we know it has a limited shelf life. There’s probably room for one per continent to be a success, but even that’s debatable. Who wants to shell out to stand at a distance in a sweaty hanger surrounded by kids and dreamers to gawp at new cars? You get a better experience sat at home looking at a monitor. And if you want a car show then there’s some great, non-traditional options.
Shows like Salon Prive in the UK, or Pebble Beach in the US or Villa d’Este in Europe allow you to get up close and personal with the greatest cars around. Not cheap, admittedly, but a great experience. Or there’s stuff like the Goodwood Festival of Speed or the Goodwood Revival. Great weekends and fun for even the non petrol-head. And if you think even they’re too expensive than go along to something like MotorExpo. They have rafts of the latest cars on offer and it’s free.
Tokyo won’t be the last traditional motor show to suffer from a dearth of exhibitors
Dan Johnston says
I am in despair at your comments.
Yes, things have been ruff over past twelve months, car manufacturers have been hit hard. Some tuff decisions have been made to conserve expenses and extravagance such as the motor shows have been pulled but neither-the-less, this will not be a permanent thing.
The “interweb” does make the unveiling of new models more accessible to Joe Bloggs and the info is almost instant but it would never stop me reading my favourite mags. I still wait to read the opinion of the writers within the pages of my prefered hard copies and enjoy the collection of pin ups that I place on my wall.
Then there is the matter of the internet killing the shows, not a chance. Come on seriously? For one, it is a great source for media (like yourselves) and second, when ever I have cash or the time, I will be one of the many hundreds of thousands to go and “drool” over the latest offerings.
I appreciate the articles you guys write and I value your opinion, however you will never be the b-all-and–end–all. Sorry to disappoint.
CarsUK says
We all still read car magazines here and we still go to car shows (My name is John, and I read Car Magazines!). We probably always will. But car show numbers have been declining for years, and that will continue. But they will be replaced by shows like Goodwood or Salon Prive or MotorExpo, which are so much better than a traditional motor show. They won’t go – motor shows and magazines – but they will change.
Which I think is what we said?