French President Emmanuel Macron stands on the steps of the Elysee Palace on October 13, 2022 in Paris (AFP / Emmanuel DUNAND)
Emmanuel Macron is due to inaugurate the Mondial de l’auto on Monday, which opens in Paris after four years of absence, and with a limited number of manufacturers, mainly French and Chinese.
Every other year, the Mondial has long marked the month of October at the Porte de Versailles, bringing together a million car enthusiasts for two weeks.
But after a cancellation in March 2020 due to a pandemic, and in a complicated context for the automotive industry, this 89th World has reduced the sails. The organizers are aiming for between 300,000 and 400,000 visitors this year, over just one week.
Without Volkswagen, BMW or Ferrari, this Mondial de l’auto presents French and Chinese groups in majesty, while the industry is engaged in a historic shift towards electricity, and paralyzed by a shortage of electronic chips.
After having received the die for dinner on Sunday evening, Emmanuel Macron intends to visit the living room for a long time during the day open to the press, before the arrival of the general public on Tuesday.
Renault’s Kangoo E-Tech Electric is shown in Aubervilliers, near Paris, on October 7, 2022, ten days before the Paris Motor Show (AFP / Eric PIERMONT)
He already announced a series of new boosts to the purchase of electric cars on Sunday. The “ecological bonus” will thus be increased from 6,000 to 7,000 euros for half of households buying an electric car, he said in an interview with the daily Les Echos to be published on Monday. The tariff shield on energy prices will also be extended to refills on electric terminals, added Emmanuel Macron.
The head of state should also make announcements Monday on the offer of electric rental at 100 euros for low-income households, the Elysée had indicated on Friday evening. At the same time as the strike continues at TotalEnergies and the queues remain long in front of the gas stations.
If relocations have been chained for 30 years, the automobile still represents 800,000 jobs in France, 3rd European producer behind Germany and Spain. Car sales are at their lowest since the start of the pandemic.
The government has displayed during this crisis the desire to “localize the entire electric automobile production chain in France, from battery production to recycling”, indicated the Elysée.
The very ambitious objective of two million vehicles produced in France by 2030, compared to 1.3 million in 2021, should illustrate this desire. Several ministers must also visit the Equip’auto trade show, which also opens Monday at Porte de Versailles.
– No Germans –
Renault is the only brand to pull out all the stops by presenting the new Renault 4 on Monday, a descendant of the famous “4L”, an electric SUV which will sit alongside the new Renault 5, which is also electric. In the same group, Dacia and Alpine present futuristic concepts.
Chinese electric cars on the European market (AFP/Pierre HARDY)
As for Stellantis, Peugeot, Jeep and DS are exhibiting a few new models, including the first electric Jeep, while Citroën showed its “sustainable” Oli concept ahead of the show.
The other stars of the show, with their large stands, are Ora, BYD or VinFast, Chinese and Vietnamese brands of electric cars which are setting out to conquer Europe.
No German manufacturer has made the trip: after investing millions in the Shanghai and Munich shows in 2021, BMW like Volkswagen will skip it, with their subsidiaries Mini, Seat, Bugatti, or Lamborghini.
Only Mercedes has been invited to Paris since Sunday, but away from the World Cup. The manufacturer presented its new EQE electric SUV at the Rodin Museum.
Japanese and Korean manufacturers are also conspicuous by their absence. No Tesla either: like others, the brand prefers to organize its own events or exhibit at technology fairs like the one in Las Vegas.
These automotive giants have been replaced by several banking giants, such as BNP or Crédit Agricole, which exhibit vehicles offered for hire. Netflix and Lego are also present.
To attract visitors (with a ticket between 16 and 30 euros), the Mondial has in particular entrusted a large stand to the automotive youtubers Vilebrequin, who exhibit some atypical cars.
© 2022 AFP
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