The Paris Motor Show is considered one of the most important events on the international automotive calendar, even if it comes around only once every two years. But that won’t stop a handful of major automakers from skipping the 2016 edition.
Yes, according to Automotive News, Aston Martin, Ford, Rolls-Royce and Volvo have all opted to give the biennial French show a miss this year.
“There used to be the feeling that you had to be at every motor show,” Andy Palmer, CEO of Aston Martin, told Automotive News.
“But there are sometimes better ways of doing it than just always spending money on show after show after show,” he said.
Ford, meanwhile, told the publication that it was instead taking a “new approach to marketing in France” by inviting potential customer to single-day test drives and spending more on “experiential marketing”.
According to Automotive News, Rolls-Royce is placing more emphasis on the reach of so-called social media “influencers”, while Volvo is opting to market its wares more directly to potential consumers.
