Too much choice or just indecision?

We are just a few days away from the opening of the 61^st edition of Luxembourg’s Autofestival and our magazine is therefore devoting a large number of articles to this long-standing event that is great importance both to professionals in the sector, who generate a significant proportion of their annual turnover here, and to car enthusiasts looking for innovation in a context of profound upheaval in the automotive world.

Admittedly, Luxembourg has never been one of those major motor shows that, from Geneva to Detroit, via Tokyo, Frankfurt and Paris, not forgetting the most recent shows in Qatar and Beijing, have thrilled thousands of national and international visitors, but that in no way detracts from its appeal to residents and cross-border commuters.

This year, however, we’re anticipating a degree of indecision on the part of motorists, perhaps linked to an overabundance of choice, but undoubtedly exacerbated by the uncertainty surrounding the mobility of the future.

Now more than ever, motorists are questioning the best possible choice to make for optimal mobility in what is a very uncertain environment. Traditional European car manufacturers are rushing to electrify their product ranges, while their Chinese competitors are just waiting to export the electric cars that are piling up en masse at Chinese ports.

The ban on the sale of new vehicles with combustion engines by 2035 will no doubt be a hot topic of discussion throughout the festival. That said, it is not yet clear how this ban will affect purchasing behaviour over the next ten years. Beyond questions surrounding the actual sustainability of electric cars, the lifespan and recycling of batteries, the evolution of electricity prices and the electrical infrastructure in general, it’s possible that the exceptional technological quality and astounding progress that automotive innovation has become renowned for over the last 120 years and that still project a prestigious image of the automotive industry today, have more in store for us yet.

Let’s hold on to some hope that this overabundance of electric offerings from elsewhere, which are cruelly lacking in originality, distinction and, quite simply, emotion, will not succeed in destroying the genius of the inventions that had shaped the automotive world until recently.