The Barcelona Motor Show brings together 38 carmakers and hosts a summit of the automotive industry
The event features 60 car presentations including Worldwide, European and Spanish premieres
From 7 to 17 May at the Montjuïc venue, the Barcelona Motor Show will bring together 38 carmakers and will present over 60 debuts including worldwide, European and Spanish innovations. The event organised by the Fira de Barcelona will also be the scene of a new summit of the automotive industry in Spain which will bring together the heads of the top automobile firms in a ceremony chaired by Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy. This confirms the show as a key platform for this sector, an unbeatable shop window and an essential date for car lovers.
Now in its 38th edition, the Barcelona event has gone for a model of show structured into four thematic areas. As well as the area devoted to the carmakers, it will highlight the role of the new technologies (Connected Car), the new patterns of mobility (Urban Mobility) and design (Sketch Car Design).
The carmakers taking part in the event are Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Aston Martin, Audi, Bentley, BMW, Citroën, Dacia, DS, Ferrari, Fiat, Fiat Professional, Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Infiniti, Iveco, Jaguar, Jeep, Kia, Lancia, Land Rover, Lexus, Lotus, Maserati, Mazda, Mercedes, Mini, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Peugeot, PGO, Renault, Seat, Skoda, Smart, Suzuki and Volkswagen. The planned previews include the Seat Alhambra and Ibiza and the European debuts of the Lexus GS F and NX by Will.I.Am and the Jaguar XF, along with the presentations in Spain of the new Audi Q7, the Renault Espace and the Peugeot 308 GT.
Show chairman Enrique Lacalle said that “this is one of the top Motor Show events, in which Barcelona’s role as an industrial platform, a great shop window and an unmissable date for car lovers is clearly evident. And this – added Lacalle- to a great extent is the fruit of the involvement of the institutions and the commitment of the carmakers, especially Anfac”.
Industrial forum
As a platform of the Spanish automotive sector, the show will analyse the current situation, which shows good registration and production figures, but presents challenges to be faced on the horizon. Thus the event will once more be the framework in which the heads and representatives of this industry will meet to debate the future challenges of a sector which represents 10% of the Spanish GDP, in a ceremony chaired by Mariano Rajoy, which will also be attended by the President of the Autonomous Government of Catalonia, Artur Mas.
After the meeting, to be held on Friday the 8th, to be attended by celebrities including the Mayor of Barcelona, Xavier Trias, the Minister of Industry, Energy and Tourism, José Manuel Soria and the European Commissioner for Climate Change and Energy, Miguel Arias Cañete, Prime Minister Rajoy will officially open the Show.
A better connected and stable future
For 66% of buyers, the technology built into a car is now more important than its performance, according to a report by the consultation firm Accenture. Furthermore, in 2016 there were 210 connected vehicles in the world – according to the technology company SAP – and the car will have the fourth most widely-used screen, after television, computers and mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. Facts that show that the mobile technologies and connectivity will be the elements that will define this future.
This is why the event will be hosting the Connected Car area, a space which concentrates on the role these technologies will play and in which will feature talks on the latest innovations in this field and its potential for car makers. There will also be an exhibition area showing some of the applications currently available which the experts consider key to the future of the automotive industry. This area has the support of the Mobile World Capital Barcelona.
Another of the new areas of the show will also be directly related to innovation, in this case concentrating on how we use our vehicles. Urban Mobility will analyse the various types of vehicles and fleets available at the present moment, with special emphasis on sustainable models and technologies. With the aim of shattering false myths, this area invites the visitors to get firsthand experience of how new propulsion and mobility control systems will change the way we get around in cities.
Design
But while technology is one of the new deciding factors when buying a car, design is still a key element and the Show will devote a space to it under the name Sketch Car Design. This area, which is backed by carmakers including Seat, will explain the process of designing a car and will concentrate on how the idea for a new car comes to life in the mind of the designer. To this end, the way designers sketch the first lines of a vehicle and how these outlines are turned into a prototype sculpted in clay and finally a real car, will be demonstrated live.
The area will also review the names and creations of some of the most prestigious designers in history and at present. Outstanding among these is the Italian Walter de Silva, current Head of Design at the Volkswagen Group, who will receive an award in recognition of the whole of his career. De Silva started out in the automotive industry at Fiat (1972-1977), from where he moved to Alfa Romeo (1986-1999), then Seat (1999-2002) and Audi (2002-2007). He is responsible for now-mythical models such as the Alfa Romeo 156, the 2002 Seat Ibiza, the Audi A5 Coupé and the Lamborghini Egoista, which will be on show in Barcelona.
Motor capital
The fact that the Motor Show and the Spanish Formula 1 Grand Prix coincide will turn Barcelona into the motor capital of the world. The top vehicle brands will be showing off their latest offerings at the event, while the strongest racing teams will be chasing victory at the Circuit de Catalunya.
The Barcelona Show will also be the setting for a series of meetings to be held by various associations in the automotive industry. These include, in addition to the Anfac meeting, the 24th National Conference on Automotive Distribution organised by Faconauto, the 8th Conference of Aegfa Fleet Managers and the various technical workshops of the Society of Automotive which will tackle subjects like Vehicular Gas, the electric car and the innovations in techniques and regulations in vehicle bodywork.
The Barcelona biennial event is one of the top motor shows in Europe and the only one in Spain recognised internationally by OICA (Organisation Internationale des Constructeurs Automobiles).
Barcelona, May 2015