| AutoRAI (Amsterdam International Motor Show) | |
| Status: | Inactive |
| Country: | Netherlands |
| Location: | Amsterdam, Netherlands |
| Venue: | Amsterdam RAI Exhibition and Convention Centre |
| First: | 1895 |
| Last: | 2015 |
The Amsterdam International Motor Show or AutoRAI was a motor show that took place every two years in Amsterdam, Netherlands.[1] The history of the AutoRAI goes back to 1893, when the bicycle exhibition was established. The first RAI exhibition was organised there in 1895.[2]
In 1900, the auto industry started to operate in the Netherlands and so the Association Bicycle & Automotive (RAI) was born. Prior to 1961, the RAI was situated in a building on the Ferdinand Bolstraat in Amsterdam (the 'Oude RAI') for forty years. In the 1970s through the 1990s, AutoRAI served an important function as a European event in a country with very little car industry of its own. Japanese manufacturers thus had a neutral ground (away from the spotlights of Geneva) where they could be expected to make their European premieres of cars already shown at home.[3] The AutoRAI was usually held in February, giving the Japanese four months to develop European market models after the common October (Tokyo Motor Show) premieres of Japanese automobiles.
AutoRAI 2013, which was scheduled to take place in April 2013, was cancelled. The organisers made the decision after consultation with the RAI Association and major car brand importers. The economic developments in the automotive sector had made it impossible to organise a fully-fledged event. The aforementioned parties said they would now focus on possible new setups of the event in the future. In addition to AutoRAI, the AutovakRAI 2013 was also cancelled for the same reasons. After a 2015 edition was organized, it was announced on August 31 2015 that the 2017 edition would be cancelled again due to insufficient space reservation by manufacturers. According to the RAI press release, it seems that they do not plan to organize any more AutoRAI events.
1993 was the largest Amsterdam show to date, with the original single hall now being the centre of a much bigger exhibition. There were also more new car presentations than usual for Amsterdam, headlined by the all new Peugeot 306.[7]