Autocar Expo · 2026

Agoris analysis · updated October 2026

Key facts

• Autocar Expo is the national trade show for passenger road transport by coach. Manufacturers, coachbuilders, engine makers, equipment suppliers and service providers present their offer to coach operators, with vehicles available for test drives on the outdoor car park.
• Next edition: the 9th, from Tuesday 1 to Friday 4 December 2026, in Hall 6 of Eurexpo Lyon, in Chassieu. Open 10am to 6pm on Tuesday and Wednesday, 10am to 11pm on Thursday with the late-night opening, and until early afternoon on Friday.
• Organiser: Autocar Expo is a brand of the Fédération Nationale des Transports de Voyageurs (FNTV), and the show is run by the company Les Clés de l'Événement.
• Biennial frequency, since the show was created in 2008. There was no edition in 2020: after 2018, the show returned in October 2022, then moved to early December in 2024.
• Results of the last edition, from 3 to 6 December 2024 at Eurexpo: over 6,600 professional participants, up 10% on the previous edition, over 110 exhibitors and about a hundred vehicles shown on static display or available for test drives, across 20,000 m² indoors and 3,500 m² outdoors.
• Trade-only show: entry is by badge, to be requested online on the official website.

Who exhibits

Typical profile

The organiser targets the whole coach value chain: manufacturers, coachbuilders, engine makers and equipment suppliers, but also the sector's service providers, from training to insurance, from rental to financing, from fuel management to operating software.

The online 2026 list confirms this breadth. Alongside the vehicle brands, it includes publishers of planning and operations software, specialists in glazing, filtration or transmissions, training bodies, energy suppliers and retrofit players. Part of the hall is taken up by group tourism: tourist offices, visitor attractions and leisure parks come to approach the coach operators who organise trips.

Notable exhibitors

The list of exhibitors present at the 2026 edition includes just over a hundred companies as of 10 October 2026. On the vehicle side, it features Daimler Bus France, Iveco Bus France, MAN Truck & Bus France, Irizar, Yutong, BYD, Otokar, HCI Karsan, Higer, FCC Isuzu Bus, Indcar, Dietrich Véhicules, Scania France, Volvo Bus France and Temsa France. The show floor plan is published as a PDF.

Among suppliers, the 2026 list notably names Allison Transmission, Aftral, Perinfo, Planingo, Cervval, C2A, GRDF, Hellio, Oleo 100, CRMT, Retrofleet and Samsara.

Visitor quality

The show is aimed at operators: coach operators, decision-makers at public and private transport operators, and fleet buyers. The 2024 results describe participants drawn from coach operators, decision-makers at public and private transport operators, and solution providers, without detailing the counting method or publishing a breakdown by profile. No OJS certification or third-party audit of attendance is published.

The format serves a concrete purpose: comparing vehicles and trying them before buying. Among the reasons to attend, the website cites previews of new products, vehicle test drives and commercial networking.

Events & community

Conference programme

The 2026 programme is described as being in preparation. The provisional version online schedules an inauguration on Tuesday 1 December at 11am with Jean-Sébastien Barrault, president of the FNTV, followed by themed talks by exhibitors and professionals on the speakers' stage on Wednesday, from 11am to 4pm. The stage is open to exhibitors who wish to present an innovation.

For the record, the 2024 edition had scheduled two round tables run by the FNTV: one on coaches serving rural mobility, the other on the energy mix, with speakers from Iveco, BlaBlaCar and Retrofleet. The results also mention debates on CSR.

Test drives and launches

Test drives are a highlight of the show: visitors who drive can take the wheel of the models spotted in the hall, on the outdoor car park. The provisional 2026 programme announces them on every day of the show.

The show also serves as a launch platform. In 2024, Iveco Bus presented its electric Crossway Elec coach as a European première, FCC Isuzu its electric Novo Volt midi coach, and BlaBlaCar launched its first biofuel fleet there.

Community & networks

The FNTV, which represents road passenger transport companies, backs the show and has its own stand there. Its president was announced at the inauguration of the 2024 edition and appears at the inauguration in the provisional 2026 programme.

The website lists as partners the trade media Car et Bus News, Autocar et Bus Infos, Transbus.org, Ville Rail & Transports and Mobily-Cités, as well as Busworld, Starbus, Only Lyon and Revolugo for accommodation. It also notes, in a historical banner, that the show was initiated by manufacturers including FCC, Iveco Bus, MAN, Mercedes-Benz, Setra, Neoplan, Van Hool, VDL and Volvo.

On the press side, accreditations go through the show's public relations agency and give access to the hall one hour before opening, on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

On site: what to know

The show occupies Hall 6 of Eurexpo Lyon, avenue Louis Blériot in Chassieu, between central Lyon and Lyon-Saint Exupéry airport, which is 20 km away. The test drives take place on the outdoor car park.

By public transport, allow about thirty minutes from Lyon Part-Dieu station (tram T3 to Vaulx-en-Velin La Soie, then the Direct Eurexpo shuttle, line N186) or from the city centre (metro D to Grange Blanche, then tram T5). The Direct Eurexpo shuttles and the T5 tram service run only during trade show periods. From the airport and its TGV station, the Rhônexpress reaches Vaulx-en-Velin La Soie, where the shuttle departs. By car, visitors enter through the West gate from Lyon (A43) or the North gate from the A46, and exhibitors through the East gate.

2026 opening hours: 10am to 6pm on Tuesday 1 and Wednesday 2 December, 10am to 11pm on Thursday 3 December with a festive late-night opening from 7pm to 11pm open to visitors and exhibitors, and until early afternoon on Friday 4 December. The website offers hotel booking through its partner Revolugo.

What it costs to exhibit

Planning your visit

For exhibitors

• Think in vehicles rather than square metres: displaying a coach outdoors costs €4,300 excl. VAT and requires booking a stand of at least 6 m².
• Plan for the test drives, announced every day on the outdoor car park in the provisional 2026 programme: visitors come to compare and test vehicles before buying.
• Use the speakers' stage, open to exhibitors, to present an innovation to an audience of operators.
• Invite clients to the Thursday late-night opening, included in the booking pack: the Animations page presents it as a festive evening with a cocktail, from 7pm to 11pm.
• Tourist offices and visitor attractions have a card to play: the coach operators who organise group trips are in the hall.

For decision-maker visitors

• Request your badge online before you leave.
• Prepare a short list of models to try: comparing them on the road, on the same day, is the main appeal of the show.
• Tuesday concentrates the inauguration at 11am and Wednesday the speakers' stage from 11am to 4pm; on Thursday evening, the late-night opening runs from 7pm to 11pm.
• Do not keep any meetings for late Friday: the show closes in the early afternoon.

CSR policy & initiatives

Energy transition is at the heart of the show's content. The 2024 results highlight electric, hydrogen, biogas and biofuel powertrains, and the 2026 list includes energy suppliers, retrofit specialists and alternative fuel providers.

This content must nevertheless be distinguished from an organisational commitment. The show's website publishes no dedicated CSR page, no carbon footprint assessment and no ISO 20121 certification, and no formalised approach by the organiser could be consulted.

The venue does, however, provide a documented guarantee: Eurexpo Lyon announced in September 2024 its ISO 20121 certification, a standard for responsible management of event activities, as did the Lyon Convention Centre, according to GL events Lyon.

How the show has evolved

Trajectory analysis

The show has settled in Lyon and has stayed there since at least 2016. The size of the exhibition is stable at around 20,000 m² and the number of exhibitors fluctuates between 110 and 130 from one edition to the next, and the organiser announced in 2024 that all the major manufacturers would be present.

Attendance is growing. Over 5,000 visitors in 2018, over 6,600 professional participants in 2024 with a 10% rise announced on 2022. The two figures are not strictly comparable, the second covering participants rather than visitors.

The clearest change concerns the calendar: the show left October for early December in 2024, a slot renewed in 2026. In substance, the offer has shifted towards energy transition, with electric coaches shown as previews, alternative fuels and retrofit.

The dates of the 2028 edition had not been announced at the time of writing.

All data that does not name its source comes from the organiser's website.

Unless otherwise stated, all factual data in this listing comes from the organiser's official website (autocar-expo.com).