Now I can say I have been to one of the world's most famous event: the 80th Geneva motor show!
As we all know Switzerland is not necessarily associated with engines and motor vehicles, yet the country is a must for the automotive industry. The Geneva Motor Show is now the only European motor show to be held every year – even though Switzerland is a country with no significant car production of its own. Or perhaps that is reason enough: after all, it is neutral ground where no manufacturer has a home advantage.
In 1905, there was hardly any mention of the automobile, only elite business circles in Geneva were enthusiastic about this ten year-old invention. Around 400 vehicles were to be seen on the roads of Geneva – as many as all the other Swiss cantons put together could muster, as an advantage to the city!
The Swiss were able to admire the first horseless carriages at the national exhibition in Geneva in 1896 and from 1898 the Swiss Automobile Club (ACS) looked after the interests of the small number of Swiss car drivers. The idea of organizing a motor show in Geneva also came from this association. In February 1905, and despite a number of financing problems, the ACS decided to hold the first national exhibition in a polling station on the Boulevard Georges Favon (City center, let's say). On an area of 1,200 square meters, 37 stands were distributed, and the décor of the hall was in violet and gold. After 2 weeks opened, the visitor number was counted in 17,500.
In 1906 the exposition area was augmented and 59 exhibitors came. The visitors number, this time, was 25 600! I just couldn't find any advertising poster from these motor shows.
In 1907, the show was relocated to Zürich! Who would say that? Why? Well, because the automobile was not yet famous and media was not paying too much attention to it. Also the "smell of gasoline all around the polling station" was criticized, as were the "murderous machines which mow down unsuspecting pedestrians like stray mongrels" in 1906. I read that even during the course of the 20th century it regularly claimed the right to host the motor show.
The third national exhibition held in Zurich occupied twice the display area, featured 90 cars and six motor boats and attracted 32,000 visitors.
In 1908 as enthusiasm for the automobile wasn't very high, it was canceled and it restarted only in 1911, but in a small scale. As the shortcoming of the World War I, shows were canceled for a while.
It was only in 1921 that the Swiss made another attempt to organize a motor show, and this time it was going to take place in Basel (Bale or Basle) when it was canceled again due to the lack of exhibitors! Who would mention that today!
Since Europe was in the grip of an economic and financial crisis shortly after the end of World War I, Switzerland did not host another national motor show until 1923. Meanwhile, Geneva became the headquarters of the League of Nations, and had the Cointrin airport was already operating. For the first time, it started to be called "Salon de l’Automobile"and brands like Maybach and Rolls-Royce were shown.
Poster for the 1924 Motor show and...
...a picture of the Benz and Alpha Romeo stands at that Show.
After 1923, with 30 000 visitors in a 3 000 square meters, Geneva shared the fate of many host cities: not enough exhibition space. A temporary solution was found for the show in 1924, for example erecting tents outside the hall and connecting the polling station with an adjacent meadow by means of a bridge with a moving walkway. The press not only criticized the crowded conditions, but also the poor presentation and restrictions which e.g. stipulated only green plants as decorations.
I believe this year's Show was interesting. Then he next poster I could fin was only in 1949, probably because of the World War II.
By the end of the 1960s both the exhibitors and visitors had become increasingly dissatisfied with the conditions prevailing at this still prestigious event: no space yet. The construction of an exhibition site with significantly more space, easier access and better parking facilities was urgently necessary if the Geneva Motor Show was to retain its high reputation.
In 1968 the canton of Geneva acquired a site covering 18 hectares near the airport in Grand-Saconnex for the construction of "Palexpo" as the new show venue but nothing more happened for a while. Work could not be started until 1977, as various protest groups raised objections to the new facility. Also in the 70s came the oil crisis, saturated western markets and industrial restructuring. Rolls-Royce was even obliged to call in the receivers, for example. Where the manufacturers were concerned, the golden age was over for the present. Sensible cars were in great demand in view of scarce, expensive resources, and environmental pollution became a topic of discussion. The result was something of a diesel boom. Imagine if they would have thought about today's conditions, maybe today's car would be less polluting.
In the 1980s the world economy was rocked by a second oil crisis. Exhaust emission standards became more stringent, and Japanese manufacturers became more and more of a threat to their European and American competitors.
In 1982 the Geneva Motor Show overcame its greatest handicap, namely lack of space. Built at a cost of 145 million Swiss Francs, the new Palexpo site was inaugurated with an area of over 38,000 square meters.
Ah, the amazing is that after 3 years, the parking space was already insufficient, especially at weekends. By 1985 the new Palexpo was already too small for both the passenger car and commercial vehicle shows; therefore it was decided to build an additional hall with an area of 16,000 square meters. The addition of the new Hall 5 in 1987 led the journalists at “Équipe” to make the somewhat exaggerated claim that Geneva had now relegated Paris and Frankfurt to provincial shows and Tokyo to a communal event. But it was only when further halls were added in 1995 and 2003, finally giving Geneva an exhibition area of just under 77,000 square meters, that the Geneva Motor Show offered space comparable to that of other shows. Its only concurrent is in Frankfurt though, the available display area in 2005 was around 225,000 square meters.
In 2005, the Show completed its 100th anniversary. And Exotic supercars often steal the spotlight during their debuts at the show. Prototypes, new equipment, technical breakthroughs, international partnerships, as well as political and social debates, are announced at the exhibition.
This year 2010, the big problem the automobile industry is facing is pollution. Most of the companies present hybrid cars, even a Ferrari or the darlings of the new families, the SUVs have their hybrid version.
THis is today's poster and this...
...is 2010 venue view with only one third of the exposition salon.
You can enter in most of the cars, seat and know how does it feel in it, but:
entrance is not allowed in this green Ferrari with this new painting style lots of car had: a not shining one.
or nor in this very prototype Subaru whose seats look very comfi! But think of the space you need in the parking lot to open this door! Not fitting with the space we find in a Swiss parking.
nor in this beautiful red car, in which I could not find a mirror or door handle.But check the lights, it looks like this is their new style. And it is gorgeous.
nor this little green car. At first view, don't you miss something in it, sg that we need for driving? Hell yeah, this is a very electric car (as a lot of the others) but this one is controlled by joystick. I would like to have one, but I am sure it will be difficult to drive it since I didn't play enough video game.
Some things are remarkable about the fair:
1. The parking places and the traffic are a mess, specially at weekends, Geneva's traffic and hotel availability do change a lot by this time, so consider a lot before you come,
2. The ticket gives the right to some public transportation discount, get informed it is worth not to spend time sitting in a traffic jam or loosing time and money with parking.
3. It is very warm inside the venu, I couldn't believe!
4. it is interesting, entire families from all over Europe come here for the Show, it is very nice to see.
5. this one I wonder if it existed 100 years ago: everytime you touch car a beautiful nicely dressed person comes to remove the possible fatty fingerprints you might have left. Come on! Isn't this too much?
they are so nice and smell so goooood...
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