U.K. Motorexpo to Feature 250-Plus Vehicles

Next month’s U.K. auto show in London is expected to be the biggest yet, with organizers forecasting a record 425,000 visitors to see more than 250 vehicles – including a number being shown for the first time in the country.

Among the new production cars making their U.K. Motorexpo debut during the June 11-17 event at Canary Wharf will be Jaguar’s XF Sportbrake premium station wagon unveiled in March at the Geneva auto show, and the all-new BMW 6-Series Gran Coupe, which combines the dynamics of a luxury coupe with the versatility of a 4-door vehicle.

Other models airing for the first time at a U.K. auto show include the Mercedes-Benz A-Class compact car and the all-new second-generation Kia cee’d hatchback family car.

Brands already confirmed to attend include Aston Martin, Bentley, BMW, Chrysler, Jaguar, Jeep, Kia, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Land Rover, Lexus, Maserati, McLaren, Mercedes-Benz, Mini, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Rolls-Royce, Tesla, Vauxhall and Volvo.

Many of the cars can be test-driven and will be on sale with prices ranging from less than £8,000 ($12,563) to more than £1 million ($1.57 million) for the Lamborghini Reventon.

Motorexpo was created in 1996 as a motoring event with an entirely new format, and CEO Graeme Carver says the continued year-on-year growth has organizers predicting that by 2020 the event will draw about 900,000 visitors, making it one of the country’s biggest outdoor events.

Motorexpo differs from traditional auto shows in that admission is free and visitors can get close to and into the vehicles. They also can take many of the vehicles for a test drive around the Canary Wharf leisure district and the wider public-road network.

Similar shows already have been held in Los Angeles this year and are set for Toronto (June 20-24) and New York (Sept. 18-23). It is estimated that a combined audience of more than 1 million people will visit Motorexpo events this year.