Show’s over?

This year’s Geneva Motor Show will be held in October, amid the rolling Alpine pastures of…Doha, Qatar. Yep, you read that right. A casual search of ‘Geneva’ might fool you into thinking it’s in Switzerland, but no longer, from a motor show point of view, at least.

It is moving lock, stock and overpriced food-stands to the Persian Gulf state that is clearly willing to spend considerable sums on high-profile international events – last year’s football World Cup, for example.

I admit I’m a bit sad about it, even though it is meant to be back in its rightful location for 2024. Because Geneva was my favourite show. I’ve been lucky enough to attend most of the major international shows, and Geneva was the Goldilocks choice of them. Big enough to attract major launches – especially of sports and luxury cars – but not so big, like Frankfurt, that you felt foot-sore and worn out just thinking about it.