As the 91st Paris Motor Show draws near, European carmakers face fierce competition from China, waning confidence and mounting geopolitical pressures.
First held in 1898 in the Tuileries Gardens in Paris, the Paris Motor Show has, year after year, drawn crowds of visitors keen to discover new models – around a hundred of them for the 2026 edition, taking place from 12 to 18 October 2026.
ADVERTISEMENTADVERTISEMENT"I genuinely think people need to see the cars, touch them, sit in them, and try them out", says Serge Gachot, CEO of the Paris Motor Show. That is particularly true for electric models.
According to the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA), fully electric cars accounted for 21.7% of all new vehicle registrations in the EU in the first eight months of 2026, up from 15.8% over the same period a year earlier. France has been one of the key markets posting the fastest growth, with registrations of fully electric vehicles rising by 74.2% compared with the previous year.
China’s rapidly expanding automotive industry is especially keen to showcase its vehicles to European buyers. Around 20 Chinese brands are expected in Paris.
"The outlook is extremely worrying for traditional European carmakers", says Tim Urquhart, principal automotive analyst at Mobility Global. "The advances made by China’s car industry in recent years have been extraordinary, particularly over the past decade, but above all that progress has accelerated even further over the last five years."
Their arrival comes as European buyers increasingly turn away from conventional petrol and diesel cars.
For European manufacturers, a transition in a challenging climate
According to ACEA, hybrid electric vehicles remained the most popular powertrain type in the EU up to August, with a market share of 36.6%, while plug-in hybrids reached 10%. The combined share of petrol and diesel fell to 29%, down from 37.5% a year earlier.
High petrol prices, government support and a far wider choice of cheaper electric cars have all helped drive this shift.
But carmakers are trying to manage this transition in exceptionally tough conditions. Elevated oil prices, linked to the conflict involving Iran, are weighing on automotive margins. European manufacturers also face weak consumer confidence, stricter emissions rules and mounting pressures in China, once a major source of growth for German giants such as Volkswagen, BMW and Mercedes-Benz.
"There was a time when the Chinese market was something of a cash cow for European carmakers. That’s no longer the case", says Urquhart.
At the same time, the European Union and China remain locked in a trade dispute over state aid, tariffs and the growing influx of Chinese-made vehicles into Europe.
"There are huge geopolitical tensions, oil prices are very high, the overall economic environment is under pressure, and confidence in Europe is suffering as a result", Urquhart explains.
In response, European manufacturers are choosing to look both to the past and to the future. Retro-inspired cars are expected to be one of the headline themes at the Paris show, with models from Renault, Citroën, Peugeot, Opel, Lancia and Fiat.
The 91st Paris Motor Show opens with its press day at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles on 12 October, before welcoming the public from 13 to 18 October.
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