An auto show , also known as a motor show or car show , is a public exhibition of current automobile models, debuts, concept cars , or out-of-production classics. It is attended by automotive industry representatives, dealers, auto journalists and car enthusiasts. Most auto shows occur once or twice a year. They are important to car manufacturers and local dealers as a public relations exercise, as they advertise new products and promote auto brands. The five most prestigious auto shows, sometimes called the " Big Five ", are generally considered to be held in Detroit , Frankfurt , Geneva , Paris and Tokyo . Car enthusiast communities along the historic U.S. Route 66 are credited with general popularization of car meets, including ethnic groups such as the Hispanos of New Mexico , Chicanos , and Mexican-Americans of the Southwestern United States ; lowrider , high technology , electric vehicle , and other enthusiast show, are popular in Los Angeles , Las Vegas , Albuquerque , San Francisco , and Chicago for this reason.
31-700: The British International Motor Show was an annual (bi-biennial after 1976) motor show held by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) between 1903 and 2008 in England. The show was relaunched in 2021 with a new location at Farnborough under the name of British Motor Show and was the first motor show event to take place after the COVID-19 pandemic . Britain's first motor show—for horseless carriages—was held in South Kensington in 1896 at
62-543: A 'Quadrifoglio' logo (a four-leaf clover) on its front wings, as well as red stitching for the black leather seats. Additionally, the rear caps on the roll hoops bars are chrome rather than being painted silver, with the body caps behind them - also silver on other versions - in red. The Alfa Romeo Spider Limited Edition features a choice of three color combinations (Carbonio Black, Alfa Red, Ghiaccio White) plus 19-inch alloy wheels, leather upholstery, electrically adjustable and heated memory front seats, and door mirrors. The car
93-763: A limited edition of the Brera and Spider in association with Italia Independent . Limited to 900 units and named after Alfa Romeo's partner in the venture, the Italia Independent edition of the Brera was offered with opaque-finish titanium paintwork, 18" "turbine" style alloy wheels, and an aluminium fuel-filler cap. The Italia Independent was offered with 125 kW (170 PS) 2.0 JTDM, 154 kW (210 PS) 2.4 JTDM diesel, JTDM, 157 kW (214 PS) 2.4 JTDM diesel or 147 kW (200 PS) 1.8 TBi, 136 kW (185 PS) 2.2 JTS or 191 kW (260 PS) 3.2 V6 petrol engines and six-speed transmission. A conventional 6-speed manual,
124-510: A variety of vehicles ranging from private to commercial. The International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers organizes many auto shows, including the Big Five. These shows all have an advertising purpose. They are held as part of the sales strategy of the manufacturers. There are other car shows that are organized by car enthusiast associations, automobile dealers, retail businesses, charitable organizations, or municipalities. There
155-551: Is also now available with Fiat Group's Blue&Me hands-free system with voice recognition and media player. Bespoke colors for the Alfa Spider Limited Edition include a Carbonio Black version with a natural leather upholstery while the Alfa Red exterior paintwork is matched to a black leather interior. The Ghiaccio White color scheme comes with a choice of either black or natural leather upholstery. Under
186-580: Is known for being an artistic area and is sometimes referred to as the 'Milanese Montmartre'. Alfa Romeo was established in Milan in 1910. The Brera was originally unveiled as a concept car at the 2002 Geneva Motor Show , designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro of Italdesign Giugiaro . The concept was powered by a Maserati V8 engine rated at around 400 PS (294 kW; 395 hp). The Brera received positive feedback, and Alfa Romeo subsequently announced production plans for 2005. In 2004, Giorgetto Giugiaro
217-773: Is no generally accepted term for these more common events. Manufacturer car shows typically showcase vehicles currently being manufactured and available for purchase. Enthusiast car shows showcase individually owned vehicles, that are not currently being manufactured, and that are not available for purchase. Enthusiast car shows have rules of entry, limiting the types of vehicles that may be shown, e.g. classic cars , hot rods , single-models (Corvette, Packard, Mustang, etc.), type of vehicle (station wagons, pickup trucks, orphan brands, etc…) Enthusiast car shows usually draw their entries locally. There are many car shows in various localities across many nations. Some may even be free to go to. Alfa Romeo Brera The Alfa Romeo Brera and
248-661: The Alfa Romeo Spider (Type 939) are mid-size sports cars using the GM/Fiat Premium platform , manufactured by Pininfarina and marketed by Alfa Romeo as a 2+2 coupé and roadster respectively. 12,488 units of the Spider and 21,786 units of the Brera were made with production ending in late 2010 and inventory remaining into 2011. The name 'Brera' appears to come from the Brera district of Milan, which
279-600: The Imperial Institute under the auspices of Lawson's Motor Car Club. The first British Motor Show organised by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) was held at The Crystal Palace , London in 1903, the same year that the speed limit was raised from 14 miles per hour (23 km/h) to 20 miles per hour (32 km/h) by the Motor Car Act 1903 and two years before the formation of The AA . In 1905, it moved to Olympia, London , where it
310-733: The London Motorfair which continued in Earl's Court from 1977 to 1999 The SMMT announced in 1975 that in future that the show would alternate locations with Birmingham and from 1978 until 2004, it was held every second year at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC), Birmingham , with the 2004 event being held in May, rather than the traditional October, to avoid a clash with the Paris Motor Show . The 1980 event
341-570: The "Selespeed" automated manual, and the Q-Tronic automatic transmission options were offered, and the V6 engine was also available with Alfa Romeo's Q4 all-wheel drive system. The New Spider version (Type 939) was introduced at the 2006 Geneva Motor Show , where it also received the "Cabrio of the Year" award. The Spider is based on the Brera coupe, seating two passengers rather than four passengers as in
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#1732779538528372-481: The "Selespeed" automated manual, and the Q-Tronic automatic transmission options were offered, and the V6 engined-car was also available with Alfa Romeo's Q4 all-wheel drive system. Alfa Romeo has created a special edition of its Spider convertible in order to commemorate the historic Mille Miglia 1,000-mile race that takes place in Italy annually. The carmaker built just 11 examples of the 'Spider Mille Miglia' to mark
403-596: The 11 victories it's had in the famous Italian race, which heralded the rise of the original sports grand tourer. While there are no performance increases, the Spider Mille Miglia is based on the standard 3.2 V6 model and has a power output of 260 PS (191 kW; 256 hp). Rather than performance upgrades, each special edition features a silver plate that outlines one of Alfa Romeo's victories between 1928 and 1947. The special edition model also gets an exclusive, bright red paint job called 'Rosso 8C' and
434-402: The Brera 'S' Special Edition was announced. This Alfa Romeo-approved British-only limited-run version was developed by British engineering specialists Prodrive and was intended to address criticism regarding the handling of the standard car. 500 units of the Brera S were made. The Brera S was developed in 12 months and suspension and chassis components and settings of the 'S' were amended from
465-402: The Brera called the Spider was also announced, to be launched shortly after the coupe to replace the existing GTV-based Spider. In Europe, the Brera was initially available with two petrol engines , the 185 PS (136 kW; 182 hp) 2.2-litre JTS and 260 PS (191 kW; 256 hp) 3.2-litre V6 ; and a 200 PS (147 kW; 197 hp) 2.4-litre JTD turbodiesel . Cars with
496-524: The Brera was initially available with two trim levels: 'Medium' and 'Sky View', the latter's name being derived from the panoramic glass roof available for the Brera's top specification. In 2008 a special trim was introduced; called the TI (Turismo Internazionale), featuring 19" alloy wheels , special badges on the front fenders and inside the front headrests. Alongside the bigger wheels, there were bigger Brembo brakes and stiffer shocks and springs. In Spring 2008
527-714: The Fiat empire. Limited to 900 units and named after Alfa Romeo's partner in the venture, the Italia Independent edition of the Brera was offered with opaque-finish titanium paintwork, 18" "turbine" style alloy wheels, and an aluminium fuel-filler cap. The interior had a Sat-Nav system as standard and the interior had a carbon-fiber trim. The Italia Independent was offered with 125 kW (170 PS) 2.0 JTDM, 154 kW (210 PS) 2.4 JTDM diesel,157 kW (214 PS) 2.4 JTDM diesel (2009–10) or 147 kW (200 PS) 1.8 TBi, 136 kW (185 PS) 2.2 JTS, 191 kW (260 PS) 3.2 V6 petrol engines and six-speed transmission. A conventional 6-speed manual,
558-669: The Motor Show are asked by Scotland Yard to leave their cars at home Attendance: Attendance: 428,000 reported 12 months later The Zagato coachwork stand exhibits a Mini-Minor named Gatto beside a Bristol and an Aston Martin Attendance: 578,034 and a further 20,000+ overseas visitors Attendance: 474,086 and 21,199 more from overseas. It was noted the paid attendance was 103,948 less than last year Paid attendance believed to be in excess of 550,000 people. In September, Earls Court Exhibition workers threatened to strike. The day
589-609: The coupe. Originally Alfa Romeo offered two engines: the 2.2 L straight-4 and 3.2 L V6 JTS engines — the JTD common rail turbodiesel was introduced at the 2007 Geneva Motor Show . This car replaced the GTV Spider , which was introduced in 1995. The 939 Spider can be viewed as the 6th generation of Alfa Romeo Spiders, the first version of which was released in 1966. Production ended in November 2010. In 2009, Alfa Romeo unveiled
620-401: The diesel or 2.2 petrol were front-wheel drive , whilst the V6 came with a Torsen four-wheel drive system similar to the 159's Q4. At the 2008 Geneva Motor Show Alfa Romeo introduced updated versions of the Brera and Spider respectively. The 3.2 liter V6 version became available in front-wheel-drive form, allowing for a top speed of 250 km/h (155 mph); all model variants adopted
651-647: The e-Q2 electronic limited slip differential ; the use of aluminium for various parts of the car helped reduce weight. The following year, again at the Geneva Motor Show , an all-new turbocharged petrol engine model badged as 1750 TBi (Turbo Benzina iniezione) was added to the lineup. This 1,742 cc unit featured direct injection and variable valve timing on both inlet and exhaust cams, and developed 200 PS (147 kW; 197 hp) and 320 N⋅m (236 lbf⋅ft) of torque. *stated by Pininfarina production records As with its predecessor,
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#1732779538528682-672: The involvement of the SMMT. The 2010 and 2012 shows were cancelled due to the Great Recession . With the absence of an international show in England, between 2016 and 2019, there were annual motor shows held under the London Motor Show banner held in Battersea Park for the first two years and moved to Excel for 2019. The 2020 show was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic . The cars listed are those announced in
713-1558: The last international show at Earls Court 67 makes from 16 countries More diesel cars displayed than ever before Concept Cars Alfa Romeo Spider (United Kingdom Introduction) Aston Martin Rapide (United Kingdom Introduction) Bentley Continental Flying Spur Mulliner Driving Specification BMW M6 Convertible Chevrolet Captiva (United Kingdom Introduction) Chrysler Sebring sedan (Europe Introduction) Dodge Nitro (Europe Introduction) Ford Focus coupe convertible (United Kingdom Introduction) Honda Civic 3-door hatchback Jaguar XJR Portfolio Jaguar XK R Kia C segment model (codename ED) Land Rover Freelander 2/LR2 (World Introduction) Lexus GS 300 Limited Edition Lotus Europa S (United Kingdom Introduction) Lotus Exige S (United Kingdom Introduction) Mazda BT-50 (Europe Introduction) Mazda3 MPS (United Kingdom Introduction) Mazda MX-5 Roadster Coupe MINI GP (United Kingdom Introduction) Mitsubishi i (Europe Introduction) Rolls-Royce 101EX (United Kingdom Introduction) Saab 9-3 Convertible BioPower SEAT León Cupra and FR SEAT Altea FR Smart Fortwo EV Toyota RAV4 (United Kingdom Introduction) Toyota Yaris (United Kingdom Introduction) Vauxhall Corsa 3 door and 5 door (World Introduction) Volvo S60 Volvo S80 (United Kingdom Introduction) Volvo XC90 (United Kingdom Introduction) The SMMT promoted an all new showcase of
744-415: The late summer lead up to the show or during it. Attendance 562,954 highest previous attendance 315,000 Attendance 462,538, plus about 4,000 from overseas who entered free of charge For the first time since 1938, foreign exhibitors were present, including Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen Attendance 612,953 Jowett and Lea-Francis do not appear New exhibitors Skoda and DKW New models introduced during
775-1303: The latest electric vehicle models. "The Electric Vehicle Village" brought together one of the largest collections of zero emissions vehicles ever seen in the United Kingdom, with a display of more than twenty battery powered vehicles. The motor show displayed a number of high priced, high performance electric cars, such as the Lightning GT and Tesla Roadster (2008) . Alfa Romeo Mito (World/United Kingdom Introduction) Ford Focus RS Lotus Evora (World premiere) Mastretta MXT (first Mexican sports car) Nissan Qashqai+2 Ford Fiesta ECOnetic Vauxhall Insignia SsangYong Rexton R-Line Tesla Roadster Concept cars: Cadillac CTS Coupe Chevrolet Camaro Convertible Citroen C-Cactus Honda OSM Kia Excee'd Convertible Kia Kee Land Rover LRX Lexus LFA Lotus Elise Eco Saab 9-X Biohybrid Smart electric drive Auto show Some auto shows have more than just cars including: all sorts of other vehicles. The types of vehicles can include buses , trucks and almost any other types of vehicles such as Auto Expo in Delhi brings
806-460: The show opened, two UK major manufacturers had assembly lines at a standstill. British makes on display: 28 Foreign makes on display: 46 including a sales team from Russia Four hundred manufacturers of cars, components and accessories There are girls dressed as rabbits, sailors, and as Nell Gwynn, and girls in "extremely inadequate" chain mail It was agreed that Earls Court was no longer an adequate venue Seventieth show Widely publicised as
837-538: The standard car, altering the handling characteristics. These include Bilstein and Eibach suspension, Prodrive sports exhaust and special 19" wheels and trim. Alfa Romeo and Prodrive had previously collaborated in motorsport, campaigning an Alfa Romeo 155 in the BTCC during 1995. In 2009, Alfa Romeo released a limited edition of the Brera and Spider in association with Italia Independent , an Italian design company owned and run by Lapo Elkann, grandson of Gianni Agnelli of
868-467: The year by Standard, Morris, Singer, Austin, Rootes, Vauxhall, Bentley, and Rolls-Royce Attendance 523,586 Exhibitors: Attendance 516,811, including overseas visitors 13,750 Exhibitors: Orders taken at the Motor Show enabled Austin to return to a five-day working week Attendance numbers were not reported Neither Allard nor Lagonda book stands at the show Exhibitors: Attendance 534,422 Opened by Prime Minister Harold Macmillan . Visitors to
899-460: Was attended by both the actor Lewis Collins and the stand-up comedian Stewart Lee . The July 2006 and July 2008 shows were held at ExCeL London . The motorshow was held at ExCeL London in 2006 and 2008. The 2010 and 2012 events were cancelled due to the Great Recession , and there was no 2014 show. The last British International Motor Show in the UK was 2008, and after the 2012 cancellation, ended
930-522: Was awarded the Compasso d'Oro industrial design award for his Brera Concept. The Alfa Romeo Brera was introduced in production form at the 2005 Geneva Motor Show . It translated the original's exterior appearance on a much smaller scale, becoming a mid-size coupé on the GM/Fiat Premium platform (shared with the Alfa Romeo 159 ), and designed to replace the outgoing GTV . A convertible version of
961-630: Was held for the next 32 years before moving to the Earls Court Exhibition Centre from 1937 until 1976, except for the period of World War II during which time there were no shows. Initially held in London at The Crystal Palace , Olympia and then the Earls Court Exhibition Centre , it moved to the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham in 1978, where it stayed until 2004. The International motorshow alternated with