Big luxury brands and some mass brands skip Paris Motor Show

New York

IN 2014, no fewer than 1.25 million people filled the Paris Motor Show floor to ogle the latest from Bugatti, BMW, Maserati and Mercedes-Benz during the first week in October. The biennial show was the industry's most populated event that year.

If those people return, they will likely be disappointed. This year, fewer marques than ever in modern times will devote the time and considerable expense to attend this weekend's Parisian debuts. To them, in an era when social media and live video feeds disseminate new-car images and information instantaneously worldwide, it just isn't worth it. And for ultra-luxury brands, their best buyers never really frequented car shows anyway.