402 Automotive, a Dutch organizer of car shows and events, seems to want to fill the gap the cancellation of the Brussels Motor Show 2024 organized by sector federation Febiac has left.

The Dutch event specialist wants to replace the Brussels Motor Show (BMS) with an ‘innovative car show’ with a lot of attention to super- and hypercars, motorsports, and two-wheelers. The organizers say there will also be room for brands to show their newest products.

Ronald van den Broek of 402 Automotive: “We have been organizing car shows and events for over 25 years in the Netherlands and abroad. Every year, our shows get over 250 000 visitors.”

“We are organizing three indoor shows in the Netherlands, but we will also be present in November 2023 in Dubai and Qatar and Saudi Arabia in 2024. When we heard that the Brussels Motor Show wouldn’t take place in 2024, we went ‘full throttle’ to fill the gap and organize a ‘European Autoshow’ in the EU capital.”

No copy

“The new Autoshow won’t be a copy of the BMS,” van den Broek assures. “For years now, we have seen that an interested public doesn’t want static shows anymore but wants to be entertained by interactive show elements with influencers and special guests. That’s what we’ve been proposing for years now.”

“We will pay attention to looks, noise, and other means of spectacle, but also tuning, movie cars, Formula 1, etcetera. Of course, a few halls of the Brussels expo will be reserved for the newest cars on the market, with the necessary attention for ‘future mobility’ and EVs. At the moment, we’re talking to different interested brand importers. Some of them want a show in 2024.”

“As an organizer of events, 402 Automotive is always looking for the right balance between entertainment, info procurement, and promotion. Since the Geneva motor show organization plans to move to Qatar, we think there is a real need for a European platform to present supercars and hypercars. We’ve already had confirmation that there will be some very exclusive cars in the ‘Supercar hall’, van den Broek concludes.

The first edition of this new car show should take place from 17 to 21 January. Halls 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 11 should be filled with automobilia, practically the same space as the 100th-anniversary edition of the BMS occupied in 2023.

There is a possibility that the size and duration could still be adapted, considering the input of the participating brand representatives.

Febiac reacts

In a reaction, the Federation of Belgian automotive importers Febiac stipulates that it welcomes all car-related initiatives to support the automotive industry.

However, the federation also wants to stress that events organized by third parties can be in no possible way linked with the events organized by Febiac and carrying deposited names such as ‘Autosalon’, ‘Dream Cars’, Brussels International Motor Show’, ‘European Motor Show Brussels Auto’, ‘Salon’, or ‘Salon de l’Auto’.

“The fact that third parties use notions or names like Autosalon or Dream Cars to attract attention for their events creates confusion. That’s why we want to inform exhibitors, suppliers, and potential visitors what this is all about. Organizing an ‘Autosalon’ or a ‘Dream Cars’ event, as people know it, is, therefore, out of the question,” adds Febiac CEO Andreas Cremer.

Mixed feelings

The announcement of 402 Automotive about a possible car show in January 2024 in Brussels leaves us with mixed feelings. Undoubtedly, the different importers of four- and two-wheeled vehicles in Belgium and Luxembourg must have the same impression.

It’s unclear what the event 402 Automotive is planning will look like. Will it be a Gumball Race-like event with most of the attention on hypercars, influencers, and wealthy special guests, with visitors just able to look in awe and admire?

Or will it be a true successor of a motor show that attracts people interested in the future of their mobility needs and in the products that can fulfill their desires?

The future will show. In any case, Dutch entrepreneurs have jumped on an opportunity left orphaned by the entire automotive community in the Belux. Will they succeed where others didn’t want to take the risk? We’ll see in the near future. The fact that many Dutch initiators couldn’t organize a decent motor show in the Netherlands for more than ten years isn’t promising.