Auto Shows Still Play a Role in Boosting Vehicle Sales

KatadataOTO – Economic turmoil occurring in various countries has had a negative impact on many sectors, not least the automotive industry.

Many manufacturers then rely on promotions such as discounts to attract consumer interest.

On the other hand, there is something else that is considered an attraction and has an important role in boosting car sales, namely automotive exhibitions.

Reporting from Carscoops, automotive exhibitions are actually starting to lose their prestige due to the rapid development of the internet.

Photo : KatadataOTO

Currently, complete information regarding vehicles can be easily accessed through various platforms like YouTube and Instagram.

Especially during the pandemic, as many automotive events could not be held offline or in person.

“The 2025 Detroit Auto Show only managed to attract 275 thousand visitors. Down from the 2019 achievement of 774,179 people,” wrote the Carscoops report, quoted on Friday (17/10).

Nevertheless, a study conducted by the Clarify Group mentioned that automotive exhibitions still play an important role in attracting people to purchase vehicles.

The results of the study show that 40 percent of automotive exhibition visitors intend to purchase or lease a new vehicle within the next 12 months.

In the long term, 68 percent of exhibition visitors intend to buy a new vehicle within two years.

Although exhibitions are not the main reason people research new cars or vehicles, 84 percent of people claim that exhibitions help them decide which product to buy.

Interestingly, 55 percent of exhibition visitors go directly to a dealership and another 39 percent schedule a test drive of the vehicle they saw at the exhibition.

Overall, 28 percent of visitors ultimately buy a new vehicle after attending an automotive exhibition.

So even though they are considered to be experiencing a decline in visitors, automotive exhibitions still have an important role in introducing new vehicle lines to the public.

Especially if the exhibition is enlivened by new models and new brands.

Photo : Courtesy

In Indonesia, automotive exhibitions are also one of the hopes for associations and manufacturers to boost sales figures.

Gaikindo Jakarta Auto Week or GJAW 2025, which carries a different concept from GIIAS, will focus on sales programs towards the end of the year.

The hope is that this can help increase domestic new vehicle sales figures, which as of September 2025 are still 200 thousand units behind Gaikindo's target.