Why so many automakers are skipping Paris show

Opel/Vauxhall has joined the list of brands skipping the Paris auto show next month, citing a shift to put more emphasis on its own events.

The news means that the German brand, owned by France’s PSA Group, will be absent from both major European shows this year, having already missed the Geneva show in March.

“We made the decision to put a stronger emphasis on our own events for the upcoming product launches,” an Opel/Vauxhall spokesman told Automotive News Europe. He said Opel would return to shows “when it makes business and communications sense.”

Automakers accounting for almost 40 percent of European sales will be missing from this year’s biannual event in Paris.

Absentees include the Volkswagen brand, Ford, Nissan, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles brands including Fiat and Jeep, Volvo, Mitsubishi and Mazda.

Luxury brands Bentley, Aston Martin, Rolls-Royce and McLaren also won’t be at Paris.

“In terms of the European shows, we are happy with just Geneva in March,” a Bentley spokesman said.

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