The organisers of the dormant Geneva International Motor Show (GIMS) have announced plans to first lend their expertise to the running of the “ultimate festival of automotive excellence” in Qatar this year and then to bring back the traditional event at the Palexpo exhibition centre in Switzerland next February.
The organisers believe the new event can attract 200,000 visitors to Doha, the capital of a country that bills itself as the “most open” in the Middle Eastern region and is currently basking in the glow of a successful football World Cup.
The festival will be staged between 5 and 14 October – coinciding with Formula 1’s Qatar Grand Prix, to be held at Lusail from 6-8 October – and is scheduled to run every two years thereafter.
It's part of a bold move by Qatari authorities to increase the country's tourist numbers, currently around two million a year, to six million by 2030. Their stated aim is to convert Qatar "from a stopover to a destination".
This story is from the February 01, 2023 edition of Autocar UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the February 01, 2023 edition of Autocar UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
The venomous nature of the Cobra
Last week, Matt Prior drove a totally new kind of AC Cobra. This is a car with one of the strongest allures of all - but also an incredibly complex and controversial history.
SKODA KAMIQ
A long getting-to-know-you trip to Spain reveals all
THE SEVEN-YEAR TITCH
Outgoing baby Jag is plush, practical and now eminently affordable
'Our time has come'
Honda may be late to the EV party, but a barrage of bold new battery-powered cars is on the way. JAMES ATTWOOD speaks to boss Toshihiro Mibe at its R&D base to find out what's in store
Lion kings
Plush, powerful four-door cars are an endangered species - and now Peugeot has called time on its latest, the 508 PSE. STEPHEN DOBIE compares it with its most significant ancestor, the 505 GTI
VOLKSWAGEN GOLF
Wolfsburg gives the lesser-known Golf PHEV a big-impact refresh
PORSCHE PANAMERA GTS
Stuttgart's latest 'bahnstormer targets driver appeal over outright punch
MERCEDES-AMG GT 63 PRO
Hardcore variant of V8 sports car engineered with track days in mind
TESLA REVEALS ROBOTAXI
Firm unveils Cybercab coupé and 20-seat Robovan in autonomy push
DACIA PLOTS AMBITIOUS EXPANDED EURO LINE-UP
Firm teases something different’ ahead of impending C-segment reveal
