The brief
As the premier motor show in China, Auto Shanghai’s global significance has grown dramatically since its inauguration in 1985. Held every two years, it’s a ‘must-attend’ for domestic and foreign carmakers and a global press seeking to read the pulse of the industry.
For the 2019 edition – themed ‘Create a Better Life’ – the show sprawled across 360,000 sq. m. and 12 halls of the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai). It attracted 11,600 journalists from 38 countries and regions, and a total of 993,000 visitors from China and abroad.
Pico services - ranging from booth design and build, VIP reception to press conference, operational and event management - helped create a high-profile presence for 18 major marques.
Highlights of Auto Shanghai 2019 include:
ARCFOX
This marque’s status as China’s upmarket electric car racing brand called for a show presence that was at once unique, high-tech and highly interactive. As the project’s lead agency, Pico was responsible for an integrated, comprehensive package of design, fabrication and operational services, delivering a booth with a distinctive X-shaped roof and attractions such as an interactive experience platform, a VR cockpit, and interactive touchpoints for boosting brand-audience engagement.
Cadillac
For the foremost purveyor of American-style luxury, Pico delivered a booth design created especially to support some unprecedented, attention-grabbing features. Among them was an interactive photo op in which participants could take photos with a classic Cadillac for a tailor-made poster, plus a coffee corner and interaction zone with robotic arms programmed to both make coffee and create prints of the famed Cadillac logo.
Changan Oshan
Virtues of simplicity, practicality and enduring quality and a spirit of 'striving for excellence' were expressed in every aspect of this Chinese marque’s stand at Auto Shanghai. Engaged as the lead agency, Pico delivered services such as design, fabrication, operational management, press conference and VIP reception. Booth features such as a large rotatable CNC LED screen, an X-ray view of a car and a thrilling interactive motion sensitive game all highlighted the brand’s advanced technology and customer service.
Dongfeng Peugeot
Pico contributed on-site design fine-tuning and fully fabricated a distinctive booth for Dongfeng Peugeot at Auto Shanghai. The booth used blue illuminated elements to draw visitors’ eyes to a one-of-a-kind array of classic models in chronological order that presented the history of the brand, the development of its design concepts and a sense of its core values of high technology, beautiful design and lasting quality.
Lexus
The world debut of the new LM model was the centrepiece of this Japanese marque’s programme at Auto Shanghai – and accordingly, the focal point of its booth design. Created and set up by Pico, the booth’s core element was a circular stage featuring a massive arced LED screen and illuminated stripes. In contrast to this electrifying setting, the remaining areas of the booth were simple and elegant, clad in serene white. Pico also provided Lexus with operational, press conference and VIP reception expertise at the show.
Li Xiang
Visitors to Auto Shanghai 2019 witnessed the debut of this new Chinese marque, as well as the launch of its first model – the ‘intelligent’ Li Xiang ONE electric car. The brand requested Pico to fine-tune its booth design on-site, the team responding by helping to fabricate a stylish, practical booth that fully embodied the brand’s character and its high-tech style. The same team was also responsible for the booth’s operation, including the press conference launching its first model and a display of the Li Xiang ONE in a limited edition ‘Baby Blue’ colour scheme.
Lotus
Pico provided operational management for this legendary sports car marque’s presence. To highlight their quintessentially British soul, Lotus cooperated with three British brands with a similar focus on quality and lifestyle, including menswear label Kent & Curwen, luxury perfume brand Boadicea the Victorious and prestigious grooming brand Truefitt & Hill. Interactive cross-branding activities such as a fashion show, perfume testing and men's grooming sessions helped showcase Lotus’ characteristics and attracted visitors to stop by and engage with the brand.
Lynk & Co
One of the most successful and innovative new marques from China continued its winning streak at Auto Shanghai. Pico expertise including operational and press conference management provided a vital element in a booth that exuded youthful dynamism from every detail.
Maserati
Visitors to this famed marque’s stand at Auto Shanghai were encouraged to place it squarely within the realm of an Italian premium lifestyle. Operational management by Pico was key to pulling together such elements as on-site leather accessory crafting, a showcase of crossover products such as Bulgari handbags and B&W hi-fi, and distribution of Princi handmade Italian bread, into an irresistible la dolce vita experience.
In addition to the extensive services provided to the brands highlighted above, Pico expertise proved crucial to other brands at Auto Shanghai 2019 including Dongfeng Motor, DS Automobiles, GAC FCA, NIO, Qiantu, SAIC Motor, Škoda, Tesla and Venucia.
