Paris - Mondial de l'Automobile

TITLE: Mondial de l'Automobile

WHERE: Paris, France

WHEN: Every even-year September-OctoberNEXT: September 29 – October 14, 2012 (Media: September 27-28)STATUS: Possibly the world’s oldest, but certainly one of Europe’s biggest motor shows it compete with its alternate event, the IAA of Frankfurt, Germany for top honours.

THE biennial Paris salon, as it was known, is the home of many world premieres, be they production cars or concept vehicles, because it kicks off the autumn season in the Northern Hemisphere and comes off the back of the summer car-industry shutdown in Europe.

It attracts 1.26 million visitors, the highest attendance wordlwide.

From its inception in 1898 until 1976 it was an annual event but challenging economic circumstances forced its promoters, the Organisation Internationale des Constructeurs d'Automobiles, to schedule the show every other year starting from 1978.

Ten years later the named was changed from Salon de l’Auto to the Mondial de l'Automobile, the title it has today. Mondial translates as “worldwide”.

The Paris show was started by Albert de Dion who designed the well-know suspension system that still carries his name. It claimed to be the world’s oldest show but the first motor show in Germany was held the year before in Berlin.

The Paris event is held at the Paris Expo in Porte de Versailles.

It is is scheduled by the Organisation Internationale des Constructeurs d'Automobiles as a major international auto show.