{"slug": "busan-mobility-show-seeks-breakthrough-as-popularity-fades", "title": "Busan Mobility Show seeks breakthrough as popularity fades", "summary": "The 2026 Busan International Mobility Show opens Friday with only eight global brands participating, as major automakers like Mercedes-Benz Korea and Renault Korea skip the event, highlighting the declining appeal of traditional auto shows amid a shift toward digital launches and brand-specific events. Industry experts warn the exhibition risks obsolescence without a pivot toward AI or software-defined vehicles.", "body_md": "The 2026 Busan International Mobility Show opens Friday amid a deepening identity crisis, as experts and industry officials warn that the biennial auto exhibition risks becoming an expensive, fragmented marketing showcase for only a handful of carmakers. While eight global brands including Hyundai Motor, Kia, BMW Korea and BYD Korea will occupy the exhibition floors, the glaring absence of major players such as Mercedes-Benz Korea, Renault Korea and KG Mobility, highlights the event's declining appeal. The limited lineup for the show reflects a broader challenge facing auto shows worldwide, as manufacturers increasingly favor digital product launches and dedicated brand events over large-scale exhibitions. Industry experts have repeatedly warned that without a radical pivot toward a specialized, tech-driven identity such as a focus on artificial intelligence (AI) or software-defined vehicles (SDVs), the Busan event faces the same obsolescence that has recently claimed legacy exhibitions abroad. Despite such recommendations, this year's Busan International Mobility Show is expected to lar", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/busan-mobility-show-seeks-breakthrough-as-popularity-fades", "canonical_source": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/business/companies/20260624/busan-mobility-show-seeks-breakthrough-as-popularity-fades?utm_source=rss", "published_at": "2026-06-24 03:12:03+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-06-24 03:12:59.273301+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["autonomous-vehicles", "artificial-intelligence"], "entities": ["Hyundai Motor", "Kia", "BMW Korea", "BYD Korea", "Mercedes-Benz Korea", "Renault Korea", "KG Mobility", "Busan International Mobility Show"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/busan-mobility-show-seeks-breakthrough-as-popularity-fades", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/busan-mobility-show-seeks-breakthrough-as-popularity-fades.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/busan-mobility-show-seeks-breakthrough-as-popularity-fades.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/busan-mobility-show-seeks-breakthrough-as-popularity-fades.jsonld"}}