Renault launched the production 5 E-Tech at Geneva in February 2024, at a show that turned out to be the last Geneva International Motor Show. The 91st edition, the first since 2019, drew nearly 168,000 visitors over seven days by the organiser’s count. On 31 May 2024 its board announced that it would not stage another edition.
The show ran at Palexpo from 26 February to 3 March 2024. We were there on 26 February, the Media Day, and on 27 February, the official opening day before the public.
A Smaller Show Than Its Organisers Hoped For
The organiser’s figures include two sold-out days of 40,000, the capacity of the halls. Before the show, Swissinfo reported that organisers had hoped for about 200,000 visitors, and that the 2019 edition drew more than 600,000.
The organiser counted 37 exhibitors, 19 of them manufacturers, 157 vehicles and about 2,000 accredited journalists. It also counted 23 premieres, 13 of them world premieres and 10 European.
The big groups mostly stayed home. Volkswagen Group, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Stellantis had said they would not come, according to L’argus and Swissinfo, with Renault and Dacia the notable exceptions. When the board announced its decision in May, it cited “too many uncertainties linked to the automotive industry and the eroded attractiveness of the major European shows”.
Renault Group Carried The Show
Renault 5 E-Tech
Renault launched the production 5 on the show’s press day (New Mobility, 26 February 2024), and the organiser lists it as a world premiere. The 52 kWh version has 110 kW (150 PS) and 410 km of WLTP range, and the 40 kWh version has 312 km (electrive, 21 May and 19 November 2024).
In Switzerland, Autosprint reported the 52 kWh top version at CHF 32,500 and the 40 kWh base versions at under CHF 25,000 from 2025 (15 October 2024).
Renault Scenic E-Tech
The 2024 European Car of the Year was announced at the show on 26 February, and the white Scenic on Renault’s stand carried the winner’s stickers (Automotive World, 26 February 2024).
Renault offers a 60 kWh battery with 125 kW (170 PS) and up to 430 km of WLTP range. The alternative is an 87 kWh battery with 160 kW and up to 625 km (electrive, 10 January 2024). Autosprint gave only a Swiss starting price, CHF 43,700 (20 March 2024).
Dacia Sandrider
Dacia unveiled the Sandrider on 30 January 2024 as a prototype designed for rally-raids, and a floor sign in Geneva said it enters the Dakar Rally. It has a 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 with 265 kW (360 bhp), running on synthetic fuel supplied by Aramco.
The Dacia Sandriders team, with Sébastien Loeb, Cristina Gutierrez Herrero and Nasser Al-Attiyah, was due to start its first Dakar in 2025 (Dacia, 30 January 2024).
Dacia Duster
Dacia’s Geneva release said the third-generation Duster “will make its first official public appearance” at the show (Dacia, 22 February 2024). That came nearly three months after its reveal on 29 November 2023 (Romania Insider, 29 November 2023).
The same release was headlined “Dacia presents three world premieres”, with the Sandrider and the updated Spring as the other two. Its own text describes the Duster’s first public appearance and a Sandrider revealed weeks earlier.
We filmed the new Duster at the Geneva Motor Show 2024. Our Dacia Duster First Look has the full story.
Most Of The European Premieres Came From Lucid And BYD’s Group
Lucid Gravity
Lucid said in its release of 26 February 2024 that the Gravity, the Air Sapphire and the rear-drive Air Pure “will be presented to the European market for the first time”. The Gravity claims were more than 800 hp, a predicted WLTP range above 700 km and 0 to 100 km/h in under 3.5 seconds. Lucid gave no battery size or price and said production would begin in late 2024.
Denza N7
The organiser lists the Denza N7 as a European premiere, though BYD had already previewed the Denza brand to European audiences at IAA Munich in 2023 (BYD, 21 August 2023). The figures quoted around the show were Chinese-market ones: 230 kW with rear-wheel drive or 390 kW with all-wheel drive (motor.es, 21 February 2024).
Denza formally entered Europe in April 2025, led by the Z9 GT (CarNewsChina, 10 April 2025).
Our Take
Geneva 2024 worked best as a showcase for the companies that committed to it. Renault Group supplied the production launch, the Car of the Year winner and the rally prototype, and seven of the ten European premieres on the organiser’s list came from Lucid and BYD’s group.
The weak point was the crowd. Nearly 168,000 visitors fell short of the roughly 200,000 the organisers had hoped for, and far short of the more than 600,000 of 2019. Three months later the organiser decided not to hold another show, so this edition is a record of what a European show looked like after much of the industry stayed away.
For the Swiss show that followed later in 2024, read our Auto Zürich 2024 report.
Geneva International Motor Show 2024 at a glance
| Dates | 26 February to 3 March 2024 (Media Day 26 Feb; VIP Day and official opening 27 Feb; public days 28 Feb to 3 Mar) |
| Venue | Palexpo, Geneva |
| Visitors | nearly 168,000 over seven days, according to the organiser |
Source: Geneva International Motor Show organiser release, 4 March 2024, and organiser show page.
Independent editorial. No brand or organiser paid for or reviewed this article.
