It has been some time since Automobile, the former Barcelona International Motor Show, changed its chassis in order to house not only cars and catapult itself as a great showcase of mobility services. And this edition, which will be held from May 13 to 21 at the Montjuïc fairgrounds, will share space with Motoh!, a fair dedicated to motorcycles, which has not been held since 2019, before the pandemic of covid. They have not matched since 1999 and will now match during the first weekend of the event. “At the moment it is a one-off coincidence, thinking of looking for synergies”, explained yesterday the director of the Automobile, José Miguel GarcÃa, at the presentation press conference. “We’ll see how it works”, he replied when asked if this union is called to be consolidated.
In any case, as explained by the president of the fair, Enrique Lacalle, the forecast is to exceed the number of 300,000 attendees reached in the last edition of the biannual fair, held in 2021. It was the first major public fair after of the forced shutdown of the coronavirus. In fact, masks were worn and a protocol against the virus was implemented. “We are a reference in Europe, when other fairs close, we not only continue but grow”, celebrated Lacalle praising the resilience of a fair that already has 104 years of history. “This is possible thanks to the efforts of the Fair, Anfac and the city of Barcelona”, said the president of the salon. May 11 and 12 will be reserved for professionals in the sector.
The Automobile area will bring together 31 brands, surpassing the 22 in 2021. Some of which will be Seat, Cupra, Hyundai, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Renault, Tesla and Suzuki, among others. 14 firsts will be presented, three of which are world premieres. As is already the trend in recent editions, everything related to the electric vehicle will have a special prominence.
“The Automobile is the place where the sector must show the evolution of the automotive industry to the citizens”, said the general director of the Spanish Association of Automobile and Truck Manufacturers (Anfac), José López-Tafall. “We want to be a tool for raising awareness about the new mobility and electrification”, remarked the director of international business at Fira de Barcelona, ​​Ricard Zapatero. Thirteen electrified models will be located on elevated podiums distributed in key areas of Montjuïc. The motto of the 42nd edition of the event is still eloquent in this sense: electrifying.
The salon will not lack the classic spaces intended for testing vehicles, located on Reina Maria Cristinai Rius and Taulet avenues. One of the novelties will be a demonstration space with the participation of professional pilots.
From these sectors you can visit brands such as Seat Mo, Wallbox, Acciona Silence and Yadea, which will present a first. “It’s about continuing the transformation of the old Auto Show into the Automobile”, explained the director of the show.
In the field of motorcycles, there will also be leading brands such as BMW, Kawasaki or Harley-Davidson, among others.
