Volvo Cars to skip 2019 Geneva Motor Show

Swedish-luxury carmaker, Volvo Cars, has announced that as part of the company’s strategy to target a new mix of audiences and develop its own events, it will not attend the Geneva Motor Show in 2019.

The company states it will continue its move away from traditional auto industry events, and instead will focus on bespoke activities to introduce its new cars, technologies and services to the media and the consumers.

The shift towards purpose-specific communications supports the company’s ambition to transform its connection to its customer base, with the aim to build more than five million direct consumer relationships by the middle of next decade.

Volvo took the unconventional route for its recent new-car launches, that included revealing the XC40 compact SUV at the 2017 Milan Fashion Week and unveiling the new V60 in the driveway of a suburban home in Stockholm. It has announced that the company plans to launch the new S60 sports sedan this month at the inauguration of its first US manufacturing plant, in Charleston, South Carolina.

“The ongoing change in the car industry is creating new audiences for Volvo Cars and new ways of bringing products to the market,” said Bjorn Annwall, senior vice president of Strategy, Brand and Retail at Volvo Cars. “Automatic attendance at traditional industry events is no longer viable – we must tailor our communications based on how the options complement our messaging, timing and the nature of the technology we are presenting.”

Annwall continued: “We are not saying never to car shows. We expect industry events like the Geneva Motor Show to continue evolving and we may return in future.”