Along with the first road worthy cars came the motor shows. Initially, the norm was to participate in industrial trade fairs around the world, but with a growth in the number of companies and more specialised audiences, the auto shows, as we now know them, became a reality. The first two decades of this century were marked by dealers promoting the cars they were selling at dealer meets where the sport of motor racing generated public interest in the cars. Some wealthy men went on to become patrons of auto manufacturers (often just enthusiasts working out of garages) and made automotive history, even putting their names on their cars.
Soon the size of the events at Paris and Birmingham grew, making it paramount for manufacturers to bring in their state of the art designs and engineering at such shows. It didnt take long after that for the auto shows to become a stage to show the world what the manufacturers were capable of. A new breed called concept cars were the result.
Concept cars let the imagination of the designers loose on a lay public, and many a wild creation was put together just for the glory of the arclights. Enough applause at the shows sometimes forced these into the production line. The trend continues today with overwhelming response to a certain design element or a even a complete concept car forcing manufacturers to consider it for production.
During the early motor shows after the second world war, the impetus was more on road-ready cars developed under strict veils of secrecy. The car makers realised there was no better place and time to unveil a new car or a derivative of an existing production car than at an auto show, making them chronicles of the development of the car over the years in this century.
Today, motor shows are gala affairs, mega shows that place the best talent and technology on thie marquees. Enormous business transactions take place, and manufacturers spend millions to stand out in the auto show environment. The more important motor shows around the world are biannual in nature, allowing the participants time to plan their next showing. For example, the Tokyo motor show is where the Japanese manufacturers show their strength once every two years, while most European giants prefer to wait for the Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung, or Frankfurt International Motorshow.
Some manufacturers plan their new launches in tandem with these motor shows, thereby ensuring the maximum exposure for their new models. BMW, for instance, launched its all-new 5 series at the Frankfurt International Motorshow in 1995 and used the 1997 show to concentrate on the models from Rover that they have acquired. Frankfurt is arguably the biggest motor show in the world, spread over nine triple-storey buildings connected by conveyers and shuttle bus services. It can take as long as three full days to take a good look at the AII Frankfurt which, incidentally, celebrated the 57th year of its existence this September.
The biannual fare at Milan is dedicated to anything that moves on two wheels and is now the biggest show of its kind.
Almost all major cities in Europe have their motor shows, but those in Geneva, Paris and Birmingham rank the highest in importance. Across the Atlantic, the biannual Detroit motor show is regarded as the best for viewing the direction the American automobile industry is headed in.
Indians can take heart from the fact that the Auto Expo, now a biannual show, is gaining in importance as a strategically important fair since most of the action in the world of automobiles will be centred in the developing economies of Asia, with India being ranked as the second largest emerging market for automobiles after China.