The 90th edition of the Mondial de l'Auto was much more than an automotive event: it embodied the essential dialogue between innovation, passion and the real needs of customers. In six days, 508,000 visitors passed through the doors of the show, confirming the still strong enthusiasm of the French for the automobile.
This enthusiasm demonstrates not only the importance of the sector for the economy, but also its central role in the daily lives of citizens. However, the challenge goes well beyond celebrating the past and the present: it is about designing the future of mobility, a future which will have to reconcile innovation, decarbonization and accessibility.
Paradox
So let's ask ourselves an essential question: what is the real fuel of this industry?
It's not just technology or innovations, but the motorist himself. The latter faces a paradox on a daily basis. On the one hand, it wishes to evolve towards more responsible mobility, aware of ecological issues. On the other hand, his purchasing power forces him to make sometimes inaccessible choices. If they could, motorists would certainly adopt more ecological behaviors. The reality is that they cannot always keep up with the pace imposed by the transition.
The IPSOS study carried out for the Mondial de l'Auto confirms this: 80% of French people say that they cannot do without their car on a daily basis, and 64% consider it a source of pleasure. This passion is rooted in the need for autonomy, freedom and the emotions that driving provides. For many, driving is a moment of relaxation, a pleasure that they are not always ready to sacrifice in the name of technological developments, such as autonomous vehicles, sometimes perceived as a loss of control.
This dilemma is not only that of consumers: it is imposed on the industry. Manufacturers are accelerating the transition to cleaner engines, they had good commercial results at the Paris Motor Show, but obstacles persist. Above all, the end customer is not yet ready, or does not always have the means, despite the significant drop in the price of electric cars. Here too, compromises are necessary. The industry, like consumers, must move at a realistic pace.
Maintain alternatives
The Mondial de l'Auto, organized by the PFA (Automobile Platform, which brings together the automotive and mobility industry in France) and Hopscotch (international communications and event organization group), is a platform capable of bringing together these worlds : that of innovation and that of customer expectations. The challenge is clear: innovate, yes, take ecological challenges into account, yes, but always keeping the consumer at the center of considerations. The ecological transition is a necessity, but it can only succeed by taking into account economic constraints and the specific uses of French motorists, particularly for long and/or frequent journeys.
Diversification of offers is essential. It is crucial to maintain accessible alternatives such as hybrid, plug-in hybrid, second-hand, plug-in hybrid retrofit, shared mobility solutions, rental particularly by subscription, and to invent other solutions. The 2024 Paris Motor Show allowed us to share this reflection, and future editions will continue to explore these avenues.
In 2026, the Mondial de l'Auto will reaffirm its role as an exchange platform where manufacturers, public authorities and consumers will be able to co-construct the future of automobility. This 90th edition reminds us that, behind every vehicle, there is a customer. It is by understanding its constraints, its expectations, but also its passions, that we will be able to build a future where innovation and responsibility will go hand in hand to jointly shape the mobility of tomorrow.
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