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Frankfurt motor show to close its doors after 68 years

Almost 70 years on from its first exhibition, the Frankfurt motor show has closed its doors for good after having its 2021 proposal rejected.


The Frankfurt event began in 1951 and was later hosted on a biennial basis, alternating with the Paris motor show.

Due to dwindling attendance numbers and public interest in the Frankfurt exhibition, the German Association of the Automotive Industry lobby (VDA) began looking at other cities to host the European leg of the international motor show rotation.

Although it rejected Frankfurt’s 2021 application, VDA is still considering Munich, Berlin and Hamburg as possible German alternatives.

Stuttgart, Hanover and Cologne also had 2021 proposals rejected.

It appears the cancellation has been a long time coming, with 2019 Frankfurt motor show attendance numbers down 40 per cent compared to 2015 numbers, and a Greenpeace-led protest hampering the event.

Frankfurt’s removal from the roster marks a downward trend for international motor shows:

The upcoming 2020 New York Motor Show is going ahead without seminal brands such as Audi, BMW and Mercedes in attendance.

The 2020 Detroit Motor Show will also be pushed back to June in a bid to reignite public interest.

Jaguar Land Rover was among a crowd of carmakers to pull out of the Geneva motor show in 2019, alongside the likes of Volvo.

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