The Paris Motor Show () is a

biennial Biennial means (an event) lasting for two years or occurring every two years. The related term biennium is used in reference to a period of two years. In particular, it can refer to: * Biennial plant, a plant which blooms in its second year and t ...

auto show 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 a ...

in Paris. Held during October, it is one of the most important auto shows, often with many new production automobile and

concept car A concept car (also known as a concept vehicle or show vehicle) is a car made to showcase new styling or new technology. Concept cars are often exhibited at motor shows to gauge customer reaction to new and radical designs which may or may not ...

debuts. The show presently takes place in

Paris expo Porte de Versailles The Paris Expo Porte de Versailles is an exhibition and conference centre in Paris, France. It is located in the 15th arrondissement at Porte de Versailles Métro station between the Boulevard Périphérique and Boulevards of the Marshals. I ...

. The ''Mondial'' is scheduled by the ''

Organisation Internationale des Constructeurs d'Automobiles The International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers (OICA; ), founded 1919 in Paris, is an international trade association whose members are 39 national automotive industry trade associations. OICA facilitates communication among its mem ...

'', which considers it a major international auto show. In 2016, the Paris Motor Show welcomed 1,253,513 visitors, making it the most visited auto show in the world, ahead of Tokyo and Frankfurt. The key figures of the show are: of exhibition, 8 pavilions, 260 brands from 18 countries, 65 world premieres, more than 10 000 test drives for electric and hybrid cars, more than 10 000 journalists from 103 countries. Until 1986, it was called the ''Salon de l'Automobile''; it took the name in 1988 and ''Mondial Paris Motor Show'' in 2018. The show was held annually until 1976; since which time, it has been held biennially.

History

The show was the first motor show in the world, started in 1898 by industry pioneer,

Jules-Albert de Dion Marquis Jules Félix Philippe Albert de Dion de Wandonne (; 9 March 185619 August 1946) was a French pioneer of the automobile industry. He invented a steam-powered car and used it to win the world's first auto race, but his vehicle was ...

. After 1910, it was held at the ''

Grand Palais The (; ), commonly known as the , is a historic site, exhibition hall and museum complex located in the 8th arrondissement of Paris between the Champs-Élysées and the Seine, France. Construction of the began in 1897 following the demolitio ...

'' in the

Champs-Élysées The Avenue des Champs-Élysées (, ; ) is an Avenue (landscape), avenue in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France, long and wide, running between the Place de la Concorde in the east and the Place Charles de Gaulle in the west, where the Arc ...

. During the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

motor shows were suspended, meaning that the show of October 1919 was only the 15th "Salon". There was again no Paris Motor Show in 1925, the venue having been booked instead for an Exhibition of Decorative Arts. In October 1926, the Motor Show returned, this being the 26th Paris ''Salon de l'Automobile''. The outbreak of

war War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...

again intervened in 1939 when the 33rd ''Salon de l'Automobile'' was cancelled at short notice. Normality of a sorts returned some six years later and the 33rd "Salon" finally opened in October 1946. In January 1977, it was announced that no Paris Motor Show would take place that year, because of the "current economic situation": at the same time the organisers confirmed that a 1978 ''Auto Salon'' for Paris was planned. The 65th ''Salon de Paris'' duly opened on 15 October 1978 in the modern buildings of the Parc des Expositions, on the south western edge of central

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

at the Porte de Versailles, where the show had been held since 1962.

Editions

* 1898 1st * 1913 14th "Salon de l'Automobile" * 1919 15th "Salon de l'Automobile" (Model Year 1920) The first "Salon" since 1913. ::9 October 1919 ::65 French automobile makers exhibited (plus 22 French commercial vehicle manufacturers and 31 non-French automobile industry businesses). At least 118 exhibitors in total.

1920s

''There was no "Salon de l'Automobile" in 1920'' * 1921 16th "Salon de l'Automobile" (Model Year 1922) * 1922 17th "Salon de l'Automobile" (Model Year 1923) ::4 October 1922 ::81 French automobile makers exhibited (plus one French commercial vehicle manufacturer, 7 "Coachbuilders" and 25 non-French automobile industry businesses.) 113 exhibitors in total. * 1923 18th "Salon de l'Automobile" (Model Year 1924) * 1924 19th "Salon de l'Automobile" (Model Year 1925) ::2 October 1924 ::78 French automobile makers exhibited (plus four French commercial vehicle manufacturers and 34 non-French automobile industry businesses.) 116 exhibitors in total. ''There was no "Salon de l'Automobile" in 1925 due to the venue having been allocated to an Exhibition of Decorative Arts'' * 1926 20th "Salon de l'Automobile" (Model Year 1927) ::7 October 1926 ::81 French automobile makers exhibited and 42 non-French automobile industry businesses exhibited. 126 exhibitors in total * 1927 21st "Salon de l'Automobile" (Model Year 1928) * 1928 22nd "Salon de l'Automobile" (Model Year 1929) * 1929 23rd "Salon de l'Automobile" (Model Year 1930)

1930s

* 1930 24th "Salon de l'Automobile" (Model Year 1931) ::2 October 1930 ::46 French automobile makers and 46 non-French automobile makers exhibited. 92 exhibitors in total. * 1931 25th "Salon de l'Automobile" (Model Year 1932) ::1 October 1931 ::39 French automobile makers and 37 non-French automobile makers exhibited. 79 exhibitors in total. * 1932 26th "Salon de l'Automobile" (Model Year 1933) * 1933 27th "Salon de l'Automobile" (Model Year 1934) ::5 October 1933 ::26 French automobile makers exhibited. * 1934 28th "Salon de l'Automobile" (Model Year 1935) * 1935 29th "Salon de l'Automobile" (Model Year 1936) * 1936 30th "Salon de l'Automobile" (Model Year 1937) * 1937 31st "Salon de l'Automobile" (Model Year 1938) ::7 October 1937 ::22 French automobile makers exhibited. * 1938 32nd

1940s

''No shows were held from 1939 until 1945'' * 1946 33rd * 1947 34th "Salon de l'Automobile" (Model Year 1948) ::23 October 1947 ::27 French automobile makers exhibited. * 1948 35th * 1949 36th

1950s

* 1950 37th * 1951 38th "Salon de l'Automobile" (Model Year 1952) ::4 October 1951 ::23 French automobile makers exhibited. * 1952 39th * 1953 40th :: Inter Autoscooter world premiere * 1954 41st :::

Facel Vega Facel S.A. was a French manufacturer of pressed steel automobile components and, subsequently, complete automobiles of their own design. To intensify its World War II war effort, French subcontracting company for military aeronautics Bronzavia ...

world premiere * 1955 42nd :::

Citroën DS The Citroën DS () is a Front-mid-engine, front-wheel-drive layout, front mid-engined, front-wheel drive executive car manufactured and marketed by Citroën from 1955 to 1975, in fastback/sedan, wagon/estate, and convertible body configurations ...

world premiere :::

Continental Mark II The Continental Mark II is an ultra-luxury coupé that was sold by the Continental Division of Ford for the 1956 and 1957 model years. The first (and only) product line of Continental, the Mark II was developed as the worldwide flagship vehicl ...

world premiere :::

VELAM VELAM (''Véhicule Léger à Moteur'', or "light vehicle with motor") was a French automobile manufacturer that made ''VELAM'' microcars under the licence of the Isetta from the Italian Iso. Powered by a 236 cc engine, it was capable of speeds i ...

Isetta * 1956 43rd :::

Facel Vega Excellence The Facel Vega Excellence is a luxury saloon automobile produced by French manufacturer Facel Vega, that was unveiled at the Paris Auto Show in October 1956. Production started in 1958 and lasted until the company ceased production in 1964. The c ...

world premiere * 1957 44th "Salon de l'Automobile" (Model Year 1958) ::3 October 1957 ::24 French automobile makers exhibited. * 1958 45th * 1959 46th ::: Facel Vega Facellia

1960s

* 1960 47th ::: Panhard PL 17 Cabriolet :::

Triumph Italia The Triumph Italia 2000 Coupé was built between 1959 and 1962, during which time 330 cars were produced. Designed by Giovanni Michelotti, the TR3 chassis and mechanical components were supplied by the Triumph Motor Company in the United Kingdo ...

* 1961 48th "Salon de l'Automobile" (Model Year 1962) ::5 October 1961 ::9 French automobile makers exhibited, plus one "

Jeep Jeep is an American automobile brand, now owned by multi-national corporation Stellantis. Jeep has been part of Chrysler since 1987, when Chrysler acquired the Jeep brand, along with other assets, from its previous owner, American Motors Co ...

" maker and one coachbuilder. * 1962 49th Salon ::This was the first year the show was held at the Porte de Versailles on the outskirts of Paris. :::

Buick Riviera The Buick Riviera is a personal luxury car that was marketed by Buick from 1963 to 1999, with the exception of the 1994 model year. As General Motors' first entry into the personal luxury car market segment, the Riviera was highly praised by au ...

world premiere * 1963 50th * 1964 51st * 1965 52nd "Salon de l'Automobile" (Model Year 1966) ::October 1965 ::9 French automobile makers exhibited, plus one "

" maker and one coachbuilder. * 1966 53rd * 1967 54th "Salon de l'Automobile" (Model Year 1968) ::6 October 1967 ::8 French automobile makers exhibited, plus one coachbuilder :::

Citroën Dyane The Citroën Dyane is an economy car, economy family car produced by the French automaker Citroën from 1967 to 1983. The Dyane's design remained almost completely based on the Citroën 2CV and its underpinnings, but at the same time received a ...

world premiere * 1968 55th "Salon de l'Automobile" (Model Year 1969) * 1969 56th "Salon de l'Automobile" (Model Year 1970) ::last year that

Automobiles Hotchkiss Automobiles Hotchkiss was a subsidiary of the French company Hotchkiss et Cie based in Saint-Denis, Paris, which produced luxury cars between 1903 and 1955, and trucks between 1936 and 1970. The badge for the marque showed a pair of crossed c ...

exhibited

1970s

* 1970 57th "Salon de l'Automobile" (Model Year 1971) ::: Berliem TR300 * 1974 61st "Salon de l'Automobile" (Model Year 1975) :::

Citroën CX The Citroën CX is a large, front-engined, front-wheel-drive executive car/luxury car manufactured and marketed by Citroën from 1974 to 1991. Production models were either a standard wheelbase or a stretched, more luxurious, four-door fastback ...

world premiere ::: Porsche 911 Turbo world premiere * 1976 63rd "Salon de l'Automobile" (Model Year 1977) known as a "Salon de Sobriété" ::: Ferrari 400 world premiere * 1978 64th "Salon de l'Automobile" (Model Year 1979) ::15 October 1978

1980s

* 1988 73rd edition

1990s

* 1992 75th edition ::Introduction of the

Renault Twingo The Renault Twingo is a city car made by the French company Renault from 1992 to 2024 across three generations. The name is a portmanteau of ''twist'', ''swing'', and ''tango''. The first-generation Twingo (two door, front engine) debuted at t ...

* 1998 Paris Motor Show ::Introduction of the

Audi TT The Audi TT is a production front-engine, 2-door, 2+2 sports coupé and roadster, manufactured and marketed by Audi from 1998 to 2023 across three generations. For each of its three generations, the TT has been based on consecutive generations ...

:: Renault Vel Satis concept

2000s

* 2000 Paris Motor Show *

2002 Paris Motor Show The 2002 Paris Motor Show took place from 28 September to 13 October 2002. Introductions Production Cars * Bentley Continental GT (pre-production) * Mercedes-Benz S-Class (facelift) * Mercedes-Benz CL-Class (facelift) * Citroën C3 Pluriel * ...

2004 Paris Motor Show The 2004 Paris Motor Show (''Mondial de l'Automobile'') took place from 25 September to 10 October 2004 in Paris expo Porte de Versailles. There was an extra exhibition called ''L'Automobile et la bande Dessinée'' ("The Car and the Stripbook") ...

2006 Paris Motor Show The 2006 Paris Motor Show ('' Mondial de l'Automobile'') took place from 30 September to 15 October 2006, in Paris expo Porte de Versailles, Paris, France. Introductions Production cars * Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione * Audi A3 1.8 TFSI * Audi ...

2008 Paris Motor Show The 2008 Paris Motor Show took place from 4 October to 19 October 2008, in Paris expo Porte de Versailles. This edition of the Paris Motor Show featured a high number of hybrid and electric vehicles (EVs), that led a blogger with ''The New York T ...

2010s

2010 Paris Motor Show The 2010 Paris Motor Show took place from 2 October to 17 October 2010, in Paris expo Porte de Versailles. For 2010, the theme of the special exhibition was "The Incredible Collection 2: automobile manufacturers collections and museums." Introd ...

* 2012 Paris Motor Show *

2014 Paris Motor Show The 2014 Paris Mondial de l'Automobile or 2014 Paris Motor Show took place from 4 October to 19 October 2014 on 'Automobile and Fashion' theme. Introductions Production cars * Audi A1 facelift * Audi A6 facelift * Audi TT Roadster * Audi ...

* 2016 Paris Motor Show * 2018 Paris Motor Show

2020s

''There was no "Salon de l'Automobile" in 2020 due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

'' *

2022 Paris Motor Show The 2022 Paris Motor Show (in French ''Mondial de l'automobile de Paris'' or ''Mondial de l'Auto'') is an international auto show, which was held from October 18 to October 23, 2022, at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, in Paris, France. It is ...

* 2024 Paris Motor Show

References

External links

*
Official website
{{coord, 48.8308, N, 2.2867, E, source:wikidata, display=title 1898 establishments in France Recurring events established in 1898 Automotive industry in France Biennial events Economy of Paris Autumn in France