Born in 1898, the Paris Motor Show, then the Mondial de l’Automobile, has become an unmissable event for all lovers of four wheels. At the same time, it is the ideal place to showcase the technological prowess and innovations that reflect the health of an entire industry. Despite the crises, the Salon was able to adapt and survive. Interview with Mathieu Flonneau, historian of mobility, teacher-researcher at the University of Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne.
RFI: In what context is the first Paris Motor Show organized?
Mathieu Flonneau: It is in the wake of an industry which is particularly linked to the high technology of the time, that is to say the Belle Époque and the end of the 19th century. And in this perspective, in Francewhy is there this taste for automobiles and this industry that appears? Because there pre-exists an industry linked to horse-related activities, linked to the activities of what we already call cars, obviously horse-drawn vehicles, and therefore there are coachbuilders who are already present. The automobile will very quickly become an object with democratic uses.
First of all, it is an aristocratic object and which takes up what we ultimately call all the characteristics of “Paris articles”, which are luxury or semi-luxury consumer goods. From there, bodybuilders and very qualified craftsmen will, in a way, offer tailor-made products for wealthy buyers who follow fashion. Furthermore, the city of Paris hosts the universal exhibitions. It should be remembered that there are five of them and in the second half of the 19th century, there are two in particular which will mobilize motoring: the exhibitions of 1889 and 1900. In 1889, there were already automobiles on display. And in 1900, at the same time, the International Automobile Congress took place in Paris. But above all at this time, there was already a small environment linked to automobiles which was created around the Automobile Club de France, created in 1895. In the chronology ultimately events, you have the advent of an environment, what we would call today the “ early adopters », people who participate in a mode. And the automobile will become a way of life, because there is a very significant industrial support.
How can we explain this meteoric entry of the automobile into the daily lives of Parisians and the French? When did the automobile become democratized?
The word “democratize” is very complex. Initially, these are the uses of the automobile that are becoming more popular. After the Second World War, France entered a consumer society, like the United States of America from the 1910s to 1920s. Thirty years late, this phenomenon has reached France. This is what we call the Trente Glorieuses. And there, indeed, the automobile, which was a good that made people dream until now, is a good that is becoming more and more democratized, this time in its possession. This is where I make a distinction which is truly crucial between the democratization of uses. This means that the automobile was available from the 1910s for professional use, for taxi services, coach services, for heavy vehicles and therefore which provided a service to the public.
And after the Second World War, it was something else entirely. It is a car which, for individuals, is becoming accessible, because it is no longer very expensive. It should also be remembered that the first cars widely distributed in France were cars resulting from war shortages. They were designed during a period when raw materials were limited. And so, when it came to putting these cars into series production, the 4 CV, the 2 CV, the Dyna Panhard, etc., we had plans for small cars and that’s when democratization intervenes. It is a democratization of ownership whereas previously, and this is what explains the aspiration for this democratization of ownership, there was a very broad democratization of uses and the automobile had already become a way of life.
And what place did the Motor Show hold after the Second World War?
It is the showcase and it is a festive moment by its recurrence and by its location: in October and at the Grand Palais which is the place, the Olympic Games reminded us of the splendor, of French excellence in an architecture a little tortured, but ultimately very spectacular. It is also the place where the air show will be held for a time and where noble but popular production is exhibited, as well as new productions. So each time, it is an event that the authorities, the Presidents of the Republic or the ministers come to inaugurate. It is also a place where national prestige is at stake, an element of economic renewal after the Second World War. It is a structuring element, because 10% of the working population is invested in the automobile sector more or less directly, and the show is the place for recognition of economic reality.
Despite the crises, the show has always attracted crowds. Can we say that this is a bit like the health report of the automobile industry?
For reasons of success, in 1961, indeed, we left the center of Paris. The Porte de Versailles appears to be larger and more modern too. And the show continues to grow, despite the crises which are real and which cyclically affect the sector. But it is clear that each time, the show was able to bounce back. For example, This yearwe are rather in a positive phase while the crisis is there. Even if this industry is suffering in some way and with issues that everyone knows – job cuts, difficulties in converting to electricity, purchasing difficulties for the middle classes – we are in a place which illustrates a form of quality and industrial desire to always be at the forefront.
The Paris World Cup is the oldest, but also one of the few survivors on the international scene.
The Paris Motor Show is the heir of the oldest show in the world from 1898. But, even before that, there was an automobile and cycle show, so there was already one in 1895. But the real show appeared in 1898 and from there, in relation to the crisis that we have just mentioned in Europe, we can clearly see the reflection on the major events surrounding the automobile. Great Britain is no longer able to compete with a trade show, because, what’s more, it has abandoned all industrial sovereignty in the automobile industry. Germany is in crisis and, in addition, there is a relocation of the show from Frankfurt to Munich. The German automobile industry is going through difficult times. Italy also had industrial problems linked to the automobile and never, in any case, achieved the recognition of the Paris show. The Geneva Motor Show, which was very prestigious and very important in the automotive world, simply closed its doors a few years ago. The Paris show, for many reasons, can ensure a form of sustainability that other shows cannot boast of.
After a 2020 edition canceled due to Covid-19 and in 2022 when the biggest manufacturers were not present, how can we explain the big return of the major players in the automotive industry for the 2024 World Cup?
Almost all the major manufacturers have returned again. The transition to the electricthe development of new technologies, the race to lower the rate of CO2 and new modes of mobility are indeed the answers. It’s a panache of reasons why the Paris show remains relevant. But above all, there is also this curiosity to ultimately know how the sales wind will turn, how the organization of representations, the staging of a launch of new models, etc. will turn out. And indeed, we are in Paris and the World Cup again seems to be a place to be. There are strategic issues, indeed, and these issues are discussed on the sidelines of the World Cup during a summit which brings together all the leaders of the major manufacturers. The real questions arise at the level of the European Union, at the level of world trade: subjects which are a real geostrategy of the automobile. Otherwise, it is suicide for European industry and French industry. There are absolutely fundamental issues.
