Turin car show:the public, the news, Salvini's (usual) statements on electric and that tragic accident, which ended well

The 2024 edition of the Turin car show closed with over 500 thousand visitors.What we saw, what we heard (from Salvini) and the epilogue on the accident.The appointment is next year, from 12 to 14 September 2025.

• The latest edition of the Turin car show was held in Turin on 13 and 15 September 2024.
• All the people involved in the accident on the last day have been discharged.
• There were over 500 thousand total visitors who walked among the stands in the city center and tried out the new products on display during test drives.
• Numerous electric models on display;national preview for the hybrid Mazda CX-80.

To tell you about it, we were waiting to know the epilogue of that accident which, during the closing day of the Turin Auto Show, risked attracting (negative) attention.Instead, a dated note from the organizers September 25th clarified the matter thus:“All the people injured during the Salone Auto Torino parade on Sunday 15 September, in Piazza San Carlo, have been discharged.The organizing committee took an interest in their conditions from the first minutes and will continue to do so until they recover."The serious fact – lo crash at the Motor Show documented by Rai during the parade in Piazza San Carlo where a Lancia Rally 037 it skids and falls on the public – evidently it remains, but fortunately it seems without serious consequences.

News that allows us to tell you about a car show, which has returned to Turin after years of absence, capable of attracting over 500 thousand visitors who, walking among the stands in the city centre, were able to see up close many of the most recent car innovations, many electric or electrified, with the possibility of trying them out in the area dedicated to test drives.An audience arriving from all over Italy and numerous foreign countries.Also interesting target:by the female presence, 34 percent of the total visitors, with 14.60 of an age and 22.04 percent (the highest percentage) of visitors between 45 and 54 years old, the target which confirms itself as the more interested in the car.

Turin Salon:lots of space for cars, less for sharing and micromobility

The undisputed protagonist of the Turin event is certainly the car, perhaps with a look more to the past than to innovation and the future.Notably absent from the stands, in fact, is the alternative mobility, like the micromobility.However, the "collateral" initiatives put in place by the organizers to offer alternative means to the car to reach the event were appreciated by the public:from reduced fares on Frecciarossa trains to agreements with Flixbus coaches, up to agreements with urban public transport and taxis, up to the success of MaaS ToMove, the experiment implemented thanks to European funds from the Municipality of Turin which made it possible to use public transport, sharing (bikes, scooters, motorbikes) and parking in a single app.A good example of the intermodality that allowed many visitors to experiment with alternatives to the private car, thus reducing traffic during the days of the event.

From horse carriages to electric cars, 200 years of mobility on display

The Turin car show is a widespread one, with stands distributed in the heart of the city, from Piazza Carlo Felice to Via Roma, from Piazza San Carlo to Piazzetta Reale.In a few hundred metres, the possibility of seeing some of the most interesting innovations in the automotive scene, 43 car manufacturers present, with some exceptions:among the notable absentees, BMW, Mercedes, JLR, Kia, Toyota and the Volkswagen group.

From the dynamic inauguration that celebrated i 200 years of the evolution of mobility with the parade of horse-drawn carriages from the 19th century first motorized carriage steam engine of 1879, passing through one of the first combustion engine cars, the Fiat 12hp of 1902, up to the prototypes and curiosities, such as the DeLorean DMC 12 by Back to the future.The conference "Sustainability between renewable energies, mobility and waste management" was dedicated to issues related to sustainable mobility.

A salon that, as stated Andrea Levy, president of the Turin car show, is already looking to the next edition:“For 2025 Salone Auto Torino will confirm itself as the main meeting point between visitors, car manufacturers, media and politicians who have already been able to discuss the future of the automobile in this edition”.

Spotlight on the new Mazda CX-80 plug-in hybrid

The new one is the only real Italian preview Mazda CX-80, together with the CX-60 among the most interesting models of the Japanese brand.In the case of the CX-80 we are talking about an SUV plug-in hybrid large size designed for the family, with 3 rows of seats and up to 7 seats.The most interesting and efficient engine in terms of consumption and emissions includes a 2.5-litre, four-cylinder petrol unit with 327 horsepower, combined with an 8-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive.With very spacious interiors and fittings that reflect the attention to craftsmanship already seen on some of the brand's models, the CX-80 is offered with prices starting from 61,235 euros, with the first units available in dealerships from October.

“Participating in the Turin Motor Show was an excellent opportunity for Mazda, which we took to present to the press first and then to the general public, the CX-80, our latest addition, together with the CX-60.Having the opportunity to network with operators and meet many people interested in the brand and our flagships was precious and extremely pleasant and the feedback from the press and the public confirmed how important it was to be there", he declared Roberto Pietrantonio, Mazda CEO.

Among the brands, many have proposed electric or hybrid models, let's see the most interesting ones.

From the questionable and edgy electric pick-up Tesla Cybertruck (which for pedestrian safety reasons cannot be approved in Europe at the moment, with rare exceptions linked to events, as in the case of Turin), to small Microlino beach, the city electric powered by a 12.5 kW engine and produced right in Turin e Mole Urbana, up to the news of Renault group, with the Renault 5 E-tech electric, Rafale, Scenic E-tech electric and the electric versions of the Dacia and Alpine models.

Nissan with the new Qashqai e-Power, the Chinese brand BYD with the Seal U DMI and the electric supercar Yangwang U9 (1,200 horsepower…).The presence of the group is strong Stellantis with the new electric Abarth 600e, Jeep Avenger, Lancia Ypsilon Cassina, Citroën E-C3, Opel Frontera, Peugeot e-5008. MG with the MG4, Polestar with the electric 3 and 4 e Lotus with the “zero emissions” sports cars Eletre and Emeya.

Salvini and that fixed idea about "electric fanaticism"

The Minister of Transport Matteo Salvini, in an interview given to a press agency during the Turin Motor Show, reiterated his skepticism about the electric car, expressing concern for the car manufacturing sector, speaking of technological neutrality as an alternative to electric, defined on several occasions as "economic, environmental, industrial and social suicide".Positions, those of the Government, which may have pushed the Formula E, created precisely to promote electric mobility in cities, to abandon our country.Salvini also spoke of "ideology and fanaticism for electric", reiterating his support for biofuels as a possible "pragmatic" alternative to the electricity transition.

As we at LifeGate have had the opportunity to explain several times, electric cars were not born yesterday, and they represent our future beyond any reasonable doubt, the enabling technology that will lead us to the autonomous car, the true revolution.Curious that bro fake news, prejudice and disinformation, electric is still considered "only" and "perhaps" the future of cars.He has actually been here for a long time and is ready to change our lives.