The show was first organized in 1902 in the Cinquantenaire (Jubilee Park) in Brussels.[1][2] The yearly Motor Show was interrupted between 1915 and 1919 because of World War I. By 1937 the exhibit area in the Jubilee Park became too small and the Motor Show moved to the Centenary Palace on the Heysel Plateau, in the North West of Brussels, only to be cancelled from 1940 to 1948 due to the Second World War. A third period of interruption occurred between 1957 and 1959 because of Expo 58, which occupied the whole Heysel Plateau.
In 1973 a separate show for commercial vehicles was set up. In 1978 Hendrik Daems, the then-Chairman, decided to henceforth reserve even years for passenger cars and motorcycles, and odd years for commercial vehicles.[1] This alternating focus on commercial and passenger vehicles was maintained until the 2010s, when heavy truck and bus manufacturers left the Motor Show one after another, and the focus of what was considered the lesser event changed to leisure-oriented vehicles: off-roaders, pick-ups, sports cars, cabriolets and so on.
Editions
2023
It will take place between January 14 and 22 and will be the 100th edition of the motor show.[3]
The 2022 edition of the show, originally scheduled for January 14 to January 23,[5] was canceled at the end of November 2021 due to the resurgence of the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe.[6]
2021
Originally scheduled to take place between January 15 and 24, it was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[7]
