Critics have claimed that the British International Motor Show doesn’t quite have the prestige or promotional weight of the many new car exhibitions staged globally each year.
Indeed, in recent years some top car makers have given Britain’s annual show a miss, but the 2008 event is set to silence the critics for good.
More than 20 cars will make their global debuts at the British International Motor Show (July 23-August 3) at ExCeL, London.
This host of high-profile unveilings underlines the show’s rising status in the international automotive industry. It also builds on the success of the 2006 event, when 13 cars were premiered.
This year the new Vauxhall Insignia will be one of the most significant unveilings at the ExCeL event.
Both fleet and family buyers will be queuing at the Vauxhall stand to get a look-see, and it is predicted to be a bigger sales success than the car it replaces, the Vauxhall Vectra.
It goes on sale in both hatchback and saloon forms throughout the UK in October, and parent company GM promises the Vauxhall Insignia will take the brand to a new level in terms of quality, refinement and design.
Famous British badge Lotus is also set to wow show crowds by unveiling its first all-new model in 12 years.
It is still very much under wraps until next month, but the mid-engined, 2-plus-2 sports car has been codenamed Project Eagle. In other words. it’ll be a true Lotus pedigree flyer.
Petrolheads will be keen to see other performance-focused global debuts - including that of Ford’s super-hot Focus RS, which the Blue Oval firm says is the fastest and most dynamically advanced Focus ever.
Then there’s Toyota’s tiny, but towering stand presence - the 200bhp Aygo Crazy concept car.
One of the world’s most prestige weight-punchers - the 200mph Bentley Continental Flying Spur Speed - will also make its debut. Like the original Flying Spur, this has taken on the mantle of being the fastest saloon car in the world.
As well as those 20-plus world firsts, more than 30 additional vehicles will make their UK debuts, ranging from exhilarating sports cars to futuristic concept vehicles.
The event’s marketing director, Kirsty Perkinson, said the London event now has “the mark of a major international show”.
“We are thrilled to be hosting more than 20 genuine global premieres, reinforcing the prominence of the show in the automotive world,” Perkinson says.
“Ours is by far the biggest motoring event in the UK, and it is certainly the only place where the public will see so many genuine, high-calibre world firsts - the mark of a major international show.”
Britain is the third largest outlet for new motors in the whole of Europe and car makers are likely to attach even more prominence to future UK events as the fight for a share of the market gets tougher.
The full list of global debuts will be published nearer the show, as some premieres are still to be announced.
The British International Motor Show will host 60 vehicle manufacturers, with more than 15 exhibitors coming to ExCeL for the first time, including Ferrari, Maserati, Subaru, and Suzuki, and more than 600 vehicles will be on display.
The broad range of attractions - on-water activities, children’s driving experiences, a music festival and numerous other interactive features - will ensure there is plenty to do for non-car fanatics.
To buy tickets (starting at £10 for adults and £6 for children), go to
www.britishmotorshow.co.uk or call 0871 230 5588.
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