COMMENT: Motor shows need to evolve as much as their exhibitors

The 2018 Paris Motor Show drew almost as much attention from its no-shows as its new model launches, but the government and the remaining attendees projected a solid front of future-proofing. French President Emmanuel Macron put in a personal appearance on 3 October, drawing attention to home-grown talent with a whistle stop tour of the Renault, Alpine, Peugeot and Citroen stands. They were undeniably ticking the right boxes, with a focus on the biggest buzzwords of the day. The French seem to favour SECAM (shared, electric, connected, autonomous and multi-modal), while others prefer CASE (connected, autonomous, shared and electric) or even ACES (automated, connected, electric and shared). Call it what you will, Paris had it in spades.