At the World Automobile Show, the concept car makes a strong comeback... and it’s no coincidence
Having been somewhat neglected in recent years, concept cars are once again in the spotlight at the Paris Motor Show, especially from Stellantis. This is no coincidence...
The World Motor Show is brimming with new models... and concepts. Do you find it logical to see what are essentially show cars at such events? Yet it’s been a long time since a European exhibition served as the launchpad for so many design studies.
Indeed, these automotive-focused events have gone through a turbulent period due to the absence of many brands. The 2022 edition of the World Motor Show felt lackluster, while 2024 saw some improvement but still had many gaps in its program. Logically, fewer brands mean fewer opportunities to see concept cars.
But even among the companies that still participated, concepts were less in fashion. Unusually, with the Cuorerosso, Alfa Romeo unveiled its first concept car since 2019 in Paris. The same goes for Fiat, excluding those that were only envisioned virtually to showcase the new Panda lineup.
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This reveals a need to cut costs. Developing a concept car involves a budget, especially for its production, which obviously doesn’t take place in factories but with specialized subcontractors. There are also communication expenses involved, and brands clearly have to make choices in these difficult times. In fact, several prototypes shown in Paris lacked interiors as a way to reduce costs!
That said, the concept car is very useful for one thing: attracting attention and grabbing media coverage when there’s nothing better to say. This is also why they are so prominently featured at the World Motor Show! This is especially true for Stellantis, which unveiled 7 new concept cars!
Keeping Customers Waiting
The fireworks clearly hide the fact that there’s almost a complete lack of “classic” new models. While Fiat shows the Grizzly and Lancia presents the Gamma, Alfa Romeo, Citroën, DS, Opel, and Peugeot have no major launches at the show. We would have loved to see the new 208, but it’s too early; instead, we must settle for the E-T16, which gives a glimpse of the car before its official reveal in mid-2027.
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At the heart of this strategy, Stellantis aims to demonstrate the promises of its new strategic plan, “Fastlane 2030,” by launching 50 new models in Europe by 2030, which will allow it to expand its market coverage by 25%. These are the beginnings of an offensive campaign. In fact, some concept cars are also designed to keep customers waiting and try to retain them. Citroën made a splash with the return of the 2 CV, but it is still a prototype, with the production version not arriving until 2028. The concept car serves to plant an idea in the minds of potential customers. Citroën can hope that buyers will wait rather than opt for a Renault Twingo!
The advantage is that it avoids giving false hope. The risk with this concept, however, is that it may lead to frustration, as the models promise a lot but end up achieving nothing. Visitors then wonder what’s the point. Indeed, sometimes one wonders whether it would have been better not to know what a new RCZ might look like rather than seeing it classified as unfinished. This shouldn’t be the case with the Alpine A310, which seems less arbitrary than the brand tries to make it appear.
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While there are more concept cars in Paris, Chinese brands offer a counterexample. There are numerous of them in Paris—about twenty present—but hardly any concept cars on the horizon. This is far from the typical approach they might use at shows in Beijing and Shanghai back home. In Paris, they are there to showcase tangible products they already sell and to convince customers of their competitiveness against European rivals, without trying to put on a show.
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