[cb804]

Once again, there was no BMW display at the 2020 Chicago Auto Show... 2nd year in a row. I would have thought with all their new cars they would want to have them on display. I would have liked to see the M2 CS, 2 series gran coupe, new 3 series and more.

Anyone know the official reason why they are not in the Chicago show anymore?

[SteveinArizona]

Car companies, including BMW, have been cutting back on their participation in car shows. Different companies are abandoning or reducing their presence at different car shows.

[Burrcold]

I wonder why? It certainly can't cost them a ton of money, and it gives people a chance to look/sit in their vehicle lineup without being harassed by salespeople at a dealership.

[Salty Dog]

Originally Posted by Burrcold

I wonder why? It certainly can't cost them a ton of money, and it gives people a chance to look/sit in their vehicle lineup without being harassed by salespeople at a dealership.

Perhaps, but I hate the auto show crowds. There are so many auto malls now that I can go look at what ever I want without a crowd or paying for the admission. Sales peoplekind are easy, just say no thank you.

[john!smith]

it is all about statistics i guess. someone calculated something, thats why they are not present. who knows how much the licence costs to put cars up there and how many visitors come there... how many of the visitors are buyers ect ect...

i dont think any company would miss a option to make sales

[cb804]

Mercedes and Mini were also not there this year. Every other major manufacturer was there. BMW was at the recent LA auto show so I thought Chicago was a big market for them

I don't like the big crowds but I was able to get a media pass for the day before the show opened to the public and it was great... every car was unlocked and not many people at all.

[NeverL8]

After seeing kids climbing all over the inside of $120k Mercedes without parents supervision...I’m not surprised. San Diego auto show didn’t have bmw, Mercedes, Audi, Porsche this year, little disappointing

[WingZeroX5]

Car shows are becoming pointless. It's nothing but a place where a lot of car makers come together so you don't have to venture out to various dealerships to check out a car. In one word, convenience. You can't drive it and get a feel for what it can really do.

I'd rather attend M-TOWN tours, autoX, and track days that BMW puts out. Bring friends/family along and you'd have a much better chance selling a car vs being a static display

As a consumer, I want to experience the product

[Burrcold]

Part of going to the autoshow is nostalgic for me. Remembering spending the day with my dad walking around looking at all the cars. It was more than just seeing what to buy next (I was a kid so I wasn't buying anything lol). It was about getting all the brochures and posters that would inevitably end up on my bedroom wall.

To me, these are the kinds of memories that made me really like certain brands. It got me hooked early. Manufacturers can choose not to participate but in my opinion it's doing them a disservice...but hey I'm not in marketing so what do I know.

[premier3is]

Originally Posted by TheRussski

After seeing kids climbing all over the inside of $120k Mercedes without parents supervision...I’m not surprised. San Diego auto show didn’t have bmw, Mercedes, Audi, Porsche this year, little disappointing

Glad I didn't go as these are the car makes I'm usually only interested in seeing.

[SteveinArizona]

https://www.chicagotribune.com/autos...sfa-story.html

https://carbuzz.com/news/another-maj...york-auto-show

https://www.caranddriver.com/feature...how-evolution/

[ntg44]

As someone who hasn’t missed the Chicago show with my father in over 20 years, for the first time since then, we won’t be going. The last 3 years or so just haven't been the same. It was starting to approach the lackluster years of the recession 10 years ago, and the horrible showing this year gives us no reason to go. Not going to waste all that time just to see the new Vette.

[Germanauto]

Luckily BMW (and Merc, Audi) showed up to the LA Auto Show. I think they were at the Orange County show too but the cars may be have been dealer supplied. Never going to OC show again though...super boring overall.

[Germanauto]

Originally Posted by ntg44

As someone who hasn’t missed the Chicago show with my father in over 20 years, for the first time since then, we won’t be going. The last 3 years or so just haven't been the same. It was starting to approach the lackluster years of the recession 10 years ago, and the horrible showing this year gives us no reason to go. Not going to waste all that time just to see the new Vette.

I was very disappointed with the news in 2018 that the German brands would be skipping the Detroit show. Yet I still went the morning of a January blizzard and enjoyed the show. Even without the German brands there's a lot of the industry to see. Hyundai/Kia impressed.

[LogicalApex]

Both MB and BMW were also missing from the Philadelphia Auto Show this year as well.

Weird to me that companies are skipping the shows as they do a great job of letting you take a look at a wide variety of the manufacturers lineups without any pressure. For instance, I used it last year to extensively tour the MBUX system in the new A Class from MB as I was interested in what MB improved with their in car infotainment system compared to Comand in my 2014 C300.

I was overall fairly impressed with MBUX compared to Comand and it is possible if MB was able to push that out to the C or E Class I might have stayed with the brand. As I spent a fair bit of time testing out BMWs iDrive at the time as well.

Car shows have their limits, like the lack of test drives, but they can be good for low pressure exposure across brands.

[flybigjet]

I've been going to the Seattle Auto Show off and on for maybe 20 years and it's still a pretty good time. I fly up, take my father and sister, remember taking my mother before she passed away, and basically have fun looking at what's available on the market, even if I'm not shopping for a car.

I think it's a great place to see all of the cars in one spot-- and they're mostly all wired for power, so you can sit in the car, check headroom, see if you like the nav, radio controls, etc.

Some of the high dollar cars keep the doors locked, or have their toys behind a ropeline-- but that's fine, and it keeps those feral little monsters from ruining a $100k plus car.

I have seen fewer manufacturers over the past few years though (mostly Mini), and I think that's a mistake-- it's a great place to go out, touch the cars, and take a test drive. And since the reps on the floor are from corporate and this is their full-time job, they seem to really know their cars (which is a pleasant change from most sales reps).

I was up at the Seattle show this past November, and it's what allowed me to see, sit in and eventually by my 2020 M2C-- without the show, I wouldn't have ever considered buying the car-- so BMW got at least one high-dollar sale out of their show.

R.

[pseto]

The majority of car shows in different parts of the US is run by the local dealers, not manufacturers. I believe LA is the only show that BMWNA participated in 2019 and will again this year. The introduction of prototypes and product launches have essentially been consolidated into only a handful of major shows across the world and with social media today, the word gets around much faster and cheaper.

[flybigjet]

Originally Posted by pseto

The majority of car shows in different parts of the US is run by the local dealers, not manufacturers. I believe LA is the only show that BMWNA participated in 2019 and will again this year. The introduction of prototypes and product launches have essentially been consolidated into only a handful of major shows across the world and with social media today, the word gets around much faster and cheaper.

1. The Honda, Toyota, Genesis and Mazda (at least) reps at the Seattle Auto Show in Nov 2019 were corporate, NOT from local dealers, and it was their "full-time" job-- going from auto show to auto show for the season. I asked.

2. BMW was in full attendance at the Seattle Auto Show in Nov 2019. That's where I saw the SOM M2C and started to get interested in it and vacillated between that, the X2 and the X4M (all of which were on the floor and able to be sat in, played with, etc.)

That's the truth. Make of it what you will.

R.

[unfoundnemo]

Pretty simple, remove yourself from a few auto shows a year and you could create enough budget room for an M-town website, posting a couple of "leaked" photos to IG, increase the number of hands-on UDE events, and doing some other "LIVE" reveals from the Welt to the masses everyone could watch from the bathroom stall at work.

[Toesuf94]

Chicago is horrendous to show at - expensive is an understatement. We haven't shown in the food industry shows there for over 20 years now...the shows are dying off due to the high costs and very low return on investment.

[F32Fleet]

Blame it on the internet..

[SCOTT26]

Some say it's an opportunity to do something different in an ever changing media world. Some says it's about saving money by doing something low-key.

Its not generally the need to promote other ways but in today's society especially those that want to upend society the Automobile is
Being given its last rites.
This is not about the transition to Electric. They don't care. They know the ethical issues from Electric such as lithium mining and diesel generators that power charging stations are part of the problem they are anti-car and they promote it at every opportunity.

Protests,vandalism,violence this is now what manufacturers have to face at an autoshow. The IAA in Frankfurt is dead after last years incidents. They want to move elsewhere but Frankfurt has always been the perfect venue. Their antics killed it. 2019 was the worst year for the IAA in its modern history.

The recent Brussels show brought the same. As no doubt will Geneva.
Although in Brussels the public had enough, after the vandalism came the "die-ins" and in order to get their attention. Members of the public had to kneel across their throats.

As the evidence shows would you go through all this to represent your brand. Geneva will be interesting what with manufacturers now hiring extra security to prepare for the protests that are now inevitable.