Electric vehicle giant BYD will lead a reduced contingent of Chinese automakers at the Paris auto show in October as European brands once again become the main focus of the event.
BYD will be joined by smaller Chinese brands including Xpeng, Seres, GAC, Skyworth, Forthing, Hongqi and Maxus at the event, the organizers said in an email to Automotive News Europe.
SAIC's MG brand — the top-selling Chinese brand in Europe and one of the few automakers along with BYD that displayed vehicles at the Geneva auto show in February — won't be attending, it said.
In addition, 2022 Paris show participant Great Wall Motors will skip the event.
German automakers meanwhile will return in force to the Paris show, with Volkswagen Group brands VW, Audi and Skoda confirming their participation in the event, which will be held Oct. 14-20. BMW and Mini will also be there.
French participants will include Renault Group's Renault, Dacia and Alpine brands; while Stellantis' Citroen and Peugeot brands will be there, the show's organizers said.
Ford will also be at the event, along with Kia, Alfa Romeo and Cadillac, the organizers confirmed.
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Smaller brands that have committed to the show include retro EV specialist Microlino from Switzerland and Moke from the U.K. French microcar specialists Ligier, Aixam and Eon Motors will also be attending.
Other specialist French automotive companies scheduled to attend the event include electric off-road vehicle maker Kilow, and sports car manufacturers Devalliet, Pantore and PGO.
Japanese supplier THK will bring its LSR-05 EV prototype to the event to showcase a range of the company's innovations, including in-wheel motors and an advanced seat-slide mechanism.
The wide range of brands at the event marks a comeback for the auto show format in Europe after falling into disfavor with automotive companies in the aftermath of COVID-19.
The pandemic caused the cancelation of the 2020 Paris show while the 2022 event was primarily attended by French automakers, although Mercedes-Benz, Vietnam's VinFast and Stellantis' U.S.-based off-road brand Jeep participated alongside several Chinese automakers.
The Paris show is held every two years, alternating with the Germany's main auto show, the IAA.
The next IAA takes place in Munich in 2025.
In May, organizers of the Geneva auto show confirmed that event would be canceled for the foreseeable future after the 2024 event held in February failed to attract enough companies.
It was the first time the Geneva show was held since 2019. Organizers abruptly canceled the 2020 show on February 28 just days before it was scheduled to start because of rising COVID-19 infections.
A global pandemic was declared on March 11, 2020.
Anchor brands
Chinese brands led by BYD and SAIC have become the anchor brands at European auto shows since the pandemic after many traditional automakers stopped supporting key events in Paris, Munich and Geneva.
However, China's big push into Europe has been dealt a blow by the confirmation in July that the European Union will impose additional provisional tariffs on EVs, with the possibly to make them permanent in November.
For BYD it means an additional 17.4 percent charge on top of the existing 10 percent rate.
The tariffs are meant to adjust for the generous subsidies Chinese automakers are given at home that are as high as 48 percent on the wholesale cost of the car.
Meanwhile, the French government has changed eligibility requirements for its own EV incentives to one based on total carbon footprint, which excludes nearly all EVs built in Asia, including China, Japan and South Korea.
BYD's answer is to build vehicles in Europe, starting with a passenger car plant in Hungary, which it aims to open before 2026.
VW's latest SUV
Models scheduled to be revealed at the show include the VW Tayron seven-seat SUV based on the Chinese model of the same name. The car will replace the Tiguan Allspace.
Audi, meanwhile, will bring the Q6 E-tron and future A6 E-Tron and possibly the E-tron GT face-lift, said the show organizers.
BYD didn't confirm which models it will be showing.
Brands that have told Automotive News Europe they will not participate in the Paris show include VW Group subsidiaries Cupra and Seat, Mercedes, Hyundai, Jeep, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Suzuki, and Geely brands Volvo, Polestar and Zeekr.
