Although the Paris Car Show (in French Le Mondial Automobile, the Automotive World Fair) already opened its doors last week, there is still plenty of time to organise your visit. The big question now is, whether it is worth it. In case you live somewhere in Ile de France (that is the metropolitan area of Paris with the population of 12 million residents), my advice would be to go for it. In case you live a bit further away, the answer will not be so simple.
The Paris Car Show opened its doors on the 4th October and will be open to the public for a few more days, until October 14th (Sunday). Their official website is available under this link. The venue is on the outskirts of the city, at the expo area by the metro station Porte de Versailles. There are plenty of car parks for those arriving by car, but foreigners should be aware of the many flexible interpretations of parking methodology, French drivers sometimes even risk challenging the laws of physics.
The opening hours are quite generous. The Car Show opens at 10.00 and closes late in the evening (at 20.00), but there are also a few night shifts: on Thursdays of 4 and 11 and on the Fridays 5 and 12, as well the coming weekend it closes at 22:00. It is useful to note that the organizers regularly advertise the event with visitor records, but for visitors, this will translate into tumultuous and crowded halls. It is therefore advisable to go on weekdays to have the opportunity to try out the many interactive programs and to leave with lasting experience (in the positive sense).
The Paris Car Show is organised every even year, in the odd years the shift is taken over by the German International Automobile Exhibition IAA in Frankfurt. The Paris and the Frankfurt Car shows differ in many ways, the Paris Show is more compact, and aims to go beyond the automotive and mobility, with special exhibitions following a dedicated theme.
This year there is also a lot to catch up with the add ons, as about half of the car manufacturers reported missing. This is striking, in comparison to Frankfurt last year, but even more to Geneva and the not so well-known Brussels Car Show, where most of these manufacturers were present.
Despite the 120 years round anniversary of the first Paris World Fair, the automotive industry ignored the event at large. There are a few major players among the missing ones, like Volkswagen, Nissan, FIAT or Opel, but also a few mid-weight challengers known for their excellent shows, like Volvo (a genuinely hospitable host with the best Coffee), Mazda (showcasing exciting concept cars), and the Italian car companies such as Alfa Romeo and Maserati with the best-looking hostesses. No point in looking for a Jeep or Chrysler either. Also, most luxury brands (notably, Bentley, Rolls Royce, Lamborghini and even local hero Bugatti) are not represented at Factory level, and one can note the difference. These absences are even more incomprehensible, in the light of the fact that most of them were present in the Brussels Car Show and /or in the Essen Techno Classica at reasonably professional levels. So what can the show offer to compensate for these absences?
