There's life in the motor show format yet, but the likes of Jaguar Land Rover need to get back on board

I’m one of the lucky ones privileged to attend hundreds of local, national and international motor shows across the UK, mainland Europe, Asia and The Americas. And I’ve never been to a bad one.

These exhibitions can make or break car companies. And they’ve positively changed the lives of millions of consumers who’ve been properly introduced to new car brands, then loyally stuck with them – sometimes for the remainder of their driving lives.

Motor shows have been around for about 130 years. Yet some auto industry ‘experts’ and executives at selected automotive companies appear to believe that car exhibitions for the common man and woman, boy and girl have lost their relevance. 

There’s a problem here. Is it that car enthusiasts in big numbers no longer wish to spend time with cars inside exhibition halls and/or on the concrete, grass and driving surfaces outside? Or is it more a case of motor-industry folk becoming increasingly out of touch while they’re ‘working from home’ several days a week? I’m only asking.

Another question: what on earth was Jaguar Land Rover as a group, and Land Rover as a brand, thinking when they recently declined an invitation for one of the very latest Range Rovers to be a non-paying, red-carpet guest vehicle, positioned centre stage on The Best Cars of the Year (Best COTY) stand at The British Motor Show – for tens of thousands of paying  attendees to admire, crave and possibly place orders for?  

The company’s formal response to the invite was as follows: “We are not seeking this kind of exposure. We’re focusing on small scale, experiential marketing opportunities.” 

Is JLR sure it doesn’t want – and need – ‘this kind of exposure’ at a time when the likes of MG are easily overtaking the combined efforts of its two brands in the sales league, and Nissan is replacing JLR as the biggest car manufacturer in Britain?  

Never in my four and a half decades as a magazine/national newspaper journalist and radio/TV presenter have I witnessed an attitude like this from a leading ‘British’ firm that – on this evidence – somehow sees itself as being too good and special for the Great British public at The British Motor Show – our national annual car exhibition, remember. 

Proving that not all British firms are so short-sighted, two far more upmarket makers – Bentley and McLaren – received the same free-of-charge offer to grace the same stand at the same show. And both gratefully jumped at the chance, duly delivering their latest all-new, prestigious products to the same carpet that Land Rover refused to tread. 

As it turned out, MG – with its £55k Cyberster (a convertible JLR couldn’t even begin to dream of building) and BYD’s Seal range (including a large, well priced, quality SUV) were the other invited guests to gratefully occupy the Best COTY stand space that JLR said no to. 

Whether big or small, British or foreign, we must hope that motor shows live on. And let us pray that JLR realises its importance and supports them, especially when UK buyers are queuing up in their thousands to see, inspect and perhaps even buy the products. 

Has the traditional motor show had its day? Tell us your thoughts in the comments section below...