Hybrid, electric, gasoline, plug-in or not, spacious or compact, sporty or classic line… There are many options and elements that revolve around a single question: what car to buy? From this weekend until May 18, Automobile Barcelona conquers Montjuïc with hundreds of cars to help clear doubts and push decisions.
With models of all types from 29 automotive brands, the international show fills two Fira pavilions and the central Plaza de l'Univers, and takes to the streets on Avenida Maria Cristina and Rius i Taulet with models for all tastes, which parade in test circuits through the streets of Montjuïc. The ambition of this 43rd edition is to reach 350,000 visitors, in an event marked by the advance towards the electrification of mobility and by the irruption of Asian brands. Since its opening to professionals on Friday, and to the general public on Saturday, the show has been filled with visitors who, in 60% of cases, come to Automobile with the intention of buying.
And it is that decision-making is complicated by the infinite options of an increasingly broad market, which is reflected in the show with the presence of multiple Asian executives and a powerful deployment of firms from the Far East, especially from China. The presence of brands from the Asian giant doubles those of the last edition of the show, in 2023, and already represents a third of the total automotive companies that exhibit their models and novelties at the event in the Catalan capital.
"The presence of these brands shows that there is a new batch of products coming from China that is making a strong impression," says Íñigo Transmonte, executive of the Chinese BYD. The firm started as an automotive company two years ago, in March 2023, "and in May it was already at the show," he highlights. And it is that Barcelona is "a very relevant place for the brand," both for the sales it registers and for the dealerships it has in its surroundings. In fact, of the 76 dealerships where BYD is present in Spain, 14 are in Catalonia. Now, "the goal is to reach 100 nationwide by the end of the year."
The Chinese firm comes to Automobile with the intention of paving this path, and with a triple objective: to launch its novelties with the salon as a loudspeaker; to contribute to the popularity of electric mobility and, of course, to sell. To help potential customers decide, the company offers exclusive discounts for the salon, as do many other firms participating in the event: "And sales not only occur at the salon, but translate into agreements that are closed in the coming weeks at dealerships."
Like BYD, companies of Chinese origin display their models throughout the two pavilions occupied by the salon, but Asia does not end in China. Japanese and South Korean brands also stand out, such as KGM. SsangYong, until last year, arrives at the salon asserting itself as the oldest Korean brand on the market, with 70 years of experience, and celebrating 30 years in the Spanish market. "We don't come to make ourselves known, because they already know us; we come for our presence to translate into sales," highlights Eva Soria from the firm.
Despite the potential of Asian brands, the international market does not end, by far, in the East, nor in terms of emerging proposals. The Italian DR Automobile has landed at the salon with a display of its five brands, covering a wide spectrum of ranges, prices and models. "The salon is a showcase for potential customers and for professionals in the sector," as its country manager, Aquile Bianci, highlights. This showcase is especially relevant at the moment the group is in: this year it focuses its efforts on expanding in Spain, after having landed in 30 dealerships and having tested the market.
Beyond international brands, the salon acts as a showcase for local firms, both traditional ones, like Seat, and new ones, like Ebro. The company that has revived the old Nissan factory in the Zona Franca has taken advantage of the salon to globally present its S400 model, an urban SUV hybrid of which the brand plans to manufacture about 20,000 units this year, according to Ebro's president, Pedro Calef.
The car manufacturer presented its new model to society from its stand at the show —located precisely opposite Nissan's—, and its current sales level is around a thousand cars per month, something key for the plant's workforce: there are more than 1,200 people, to which another 800 indirect jobs are added, according to the president of EV Motors, Rafael Ruiz.
At the Ebro stand, the new S400 attracts attention, but also a stunning red Jeep Ebro. A few meters away, a black electric convertible from Baltasar is also the focus of cameras, which, more than a passenger car, resembles a Batmobile. But, for movie cars, the show has gathered them in the Movie Machines exhibition and experience, with faithful replicas of cars from iconic films such as Ghostbusters, Back to the Future, The Italian Job and The Hangover. Not only that, but the show delves into the big screen through cars with an immersive spectacle. The people in charge of locating and gathering these jewels have been the managers of Car Corral, a classic car rental company born about 15 years ago from a family's passion for these vehicles.
With Eliseu Morera and his son, Albert Morera, at the helm, the company exhibits some of its models at the show, with their classic profiles in clear contrast to the dominant trend in the sector and, consequently, in Automobile: the electrification of mobility. A led light profile of a four-meter Renault rises a few meters from the colorful classics, at a stand where the French brand has presented its new R4 model, with a new design and technology with nods to the original. The head of communication for Renault in Spain, Fernando Poveda, has called for taking the step towards electrification: "The great mission of the R4 is to popularize the electric car."
This and the Ebro were not the only novelties presented at the show; multiple countdowns and removals of black tarps revealed a dozen premieres, with one world premiere—the Ebro—and one European premiere—the MG S5—and the rest at a national level. The vast majority of them shared a common element: a commitment to electric mobility, which also arrived at the show through charger companies, such as those from Iberdrola. "The charging network is expanding," Soria emphasizes from KGM. And could the blackout contribute to aggravating potential customers' doubts? "A one-day blackout, which should not happen again, would not affect a charged electric vehicle," and in any case, gasoline cars could not refuel on that disconcerting day either, because gas stations were not operational without electricity: "There is still a great lack of knowledge and fear about electric cars, but the transition to electric mobility is unstoppable; it cannot be stopped."
Vehicles can be driven around Montjuïc in the company of brand testers on circuits of about 15 minutes.This transition is noticeable at Automobile not only inside the pavilions but also on the avenues that allow potential customers to test the vehicles. In some streets where engines roared in past editions, now the noise has been replaced by silence, and the smoke from exhaust pipes, by cables and chargers. Although many are electric, the test vehicles include models of all types and sizes, from large cars to compact vehicles, such as the new e-Miles, designed by Malena Engineering for last-mile distribution with more than one peculiarity: its manufacturing is based on 3D printing, and it lacks pedals and a steering wheel, since everything is controlled by ajoystick. Both this and the rest of the vehicles can be driven around Montjuïc in the company of brand testers, on routes of about 15 minutes that aim to help visitors make up their minds.
The test vehicles displayed along Maria Cristina Avenue do so with Seat as a backdrop. The car manufacturer celebrates 75 years and makes its presence felt with a tour of the models that have marked its history, literally: dozens of cars, one for each year of its trajectory, have been arranged throughout the Plaza de l'Univers to allow visitors to stroll through the firm's history. Each visitor looks at some model as a source of memories of past experiences: for some, the Ibiza, for others, the Panda, or the 600. "We made history, we created the future," reads the motto of the 75th anniversary from the Venetian Towers. It is precisely the two twins that act as the entrance gate to a show that, in turn, delves into the future of mobility with a unanimous call: the future is electric, and the future is already here.