The Brussels Car Show is back with a new name and a brand-new concept. It is essential, though, that you enter the gates with an open mind. In case you would miss it, here is our comprehensive review with some 300 photos.
We finished the year with a declaration that the 100th Autosalon was the best car event of 2023 and one of the best Brussels Autosalons ever. But perhaps also the last: the organiser FEBIAC announced the cancellation of the 2024 edition well in advance. However, new organisers took over the rights and launched a revamped Brussels Auto Show with a different concept.
The location is still the same: the BAS takes place at the usual location of the Autosalon, at Brussel’s Heysel expo area. The premises are accessible via metro line 6, and ample parking places are available with a direct connection to the ring. The duration is, however, shorter: the BAS will only last four days until Sunday (21 January 2024) evening.
The organisers already tried to manage expectations by clarifying that BAS is an entirely new car show and not a replacement for the traditional car salon. This is important to know, as after 2023, they had gigantic shoes to fill.
Unfortunately, we have to face the fact that Europe’s best new car trade show is no longer, and the BAS never intended to provide a replacement. Thus, Belgium’s car market reported absent this year, with only a few new entrants preparing a small stage with their future hopefuls.
The only manufacturer with an actual (albeit small) booth was Chinese-revived British brand MG, showcasing their new roadster Cyberster. We are fond of this new model: it has what it takes to be a serious new competitor and a true halo car. We reckon it can potentially become an F-Type killer.
We also recommend the corner of Fisker, with their new Karma, that might also interest those looking for alternatives to the ubiquitous Tesla models.
The third factory stage features a real oddball in Hall 6. We really loved this rotary-wing car from the Netherlands. The crazy orange-coloured automotive gyrocopter of PAL-V is familiar from 2016 and also stole the show here.
The remaining new cars are the finalists of the Car of the Year award, parked in Hall 5. Unlike last year, the winner will be announced during the upcoming Geneva Car Show. We found it awkward that they parked a green muscle car in the back.
Various truck brands showcased new models in Hall 7, including giants like the Iveco S-Way, the Ford F-max, and the DAF XG+. This hall also featured race cars and tuning and a large conference corner.
There were also quite a few stages with motorcycles, a bit less than in previous years, but still a strength of the show. Among the bikes, there is a more robust participation by new energy frontrunners. The organisers announced multiple EV motorcycles to admire from brands like Kawasaki, Energica, Silence, Trevor, and Zero Motorcycles in Hall 6.
Hall 5 also featured the show’s main attraction, the catwalk. This is a novel concept in Belgium, but we heard about it from Dutch and British events.
This catwalk is surrounded by an impressive lineup of dream cars, including fleets of famous influencers like Schmee150 and POG.
If you like fast dream cars, this is a place to be. We also appreciated the humour of the styling that POG (Belgian influencer François Dequidt), like the Ferrari with the fake police livery and the Lamborghini Art Car.
There were a few actual race cars scattered around the halls, like the HAAS F1 race car and cars of the InMotion team.
InMotion is a student team at the Eindhoven University of Technology. The university is a hotspot for training engineers in electric car production, and its InMotion Team is also focused on sustainable mobility. Nevertheless, their cars look exciting, especially the Vision concept, but also their Revolution Le Mans race car is an outstanding project.
The majority of cars belonged to the tuning scene. They are outside the main focus of our interest, so we only share a gallery of them below. Click at your own risk…
There were a few classic cars and oldtimers as well, but their presence was rather marginal.
For those interested in culture, the organisers fetched a large selection of movie cars. Chromecars, a company of automotive archaeologists founded by German petrolheads, brought a few collector cars from the Fast and the Furious franchise and other movies. These are real “hero cars” used for movie scenes and/or their promotion.
They are not simple tuners but are notorious for collecting and restoring originals, like the famous Futureliners and GM’s futuristic trucks from the ’40s. Unfortunately, these mastodons are hard to catch, and they were also absent here. Still, Chromecars added a few classic race cars with gold-on-black JPS livery. Some of these might be familiar from Essen, but they are indeed a grand spectacle.
Hall 8 featured three stages loaded with movie cars, bringing together recreations honouring various movies, like Ghostbusters, Magnum PI, Smokey and the Bandit, Mr Bean, James Bond, Taxi, Transformers (Bumblebee), Scooby-Doo, Dukes of Hazzard, A-Team, Jurassic Park, and of course, Back to the Future.
We could recognise a few other themes, like the corner with Corvettes of every generation, a lovely tribute to the recent anniversary of this automotive icon.
The show offers a lot of entertainment beyond movie cars, like a half pipe in Hall 8, and simulators of all kinds. Hall 9 featured a closed hydraulic cabin and a VR hydraulic system with friendly prices.
Hall 9 again hosted the Belgian armed forces with an even greater delegation. As last year, the Belgian Air Force came with a simulator to advertise the arrival of their pride, the brand-new F35 fighter jet. This time, they added a 1:1 maquette of the outgoing F16 fighter jet.
The ground forces brought some king-size vehicles, custom-made for various military purposes, like mine-proof personal carriers and tow trucks that could move even a bunker.
Altogether we loved the new Brussels Auto Show. It entailed a severe dosage of wow factor using several familiar elements from last year’s Autosalon and other shows. Nevertheless, the concept is fundamentally different: the new BAS feels more like a variety show for petrolheads instead of trade shows of international magnitude of past Autosalons.
