Festival for sporty vehicles

Over 200,000 visitors celebrate the entire world of automobiles

Essen Motor Show thrills fans with dream cars and tuning

The Essen Motor Show 2025 impressively confirmed why it is one of Europe’s leading events for performance, tuning, and automotive lifestyle. Over 200,000 visitors once again flocked to Messe Essen over ten days, ensuring a strong end to the season. The halls were filled with passion and diversity – from motorsports and performance to tuning and lifestyle to classic cars. Among the big crowd pullers were numerous premieres, including the new Ford Mustang GTD, which was unveiled in Germany for the first time by Ford Schmitz + Wieseler.

The TUNE IT! SAFE! initiative caused a stir: its new campaign vehicle, the STEEDA Q500 Ford Mustang in police livery, already thrilled the audience on Preview Day. Classic car enthusiasts celebrated the award for the Maserati Mistral 4000, which was voted the most beautiful classic car at the show by an international jury of experts. Prominent guests such as rapper GZUZ, streamer MontanaBlack, and tuning and TV professionals Sidney Hoffmann and JP Kraemer attracted additional attention.

A festival for everyone who loves cars

The Essen Motor Show program showcased the entire spectrum of the automotive scene. At tuningXperience, around 150 private exhibitors presented extraordinary conversions – from a VW Beetle with a 612 hp Tesla motor to the 1,700 hp Ford Mustang “HELLENOR.” In Mercedes Fan World, the Maybach Exelero was one of the most photographed vehicles. Motorsport fans were able to experience the vehicles of the 2025 DTM season up close, while historic icons, youngtimers, and elegant super sports cars were showcased in the Classic & Prestige Salon.

“The enthusiasm of the fans, the premieres, and above all the enormous variety make the Essen Motor Show unique year after year. The EMS is much more than a trade fair—it is a festival for everyone who loves cars, regardless of the drive system,” emphasizes Oliver P. Kuhrt, Managing Director of Messe Essen. Dirk Kreidenweiß, Managing Director of the Association of Automobile Tuners, adds: “This year’s edition of the EMS has once again impressively demonstrated its outstanding position among automotive trade fairs in Europe, showing how deeply rooted the fascination and joy of vehicle customization is in the population.”

Ford impresses with several premieres

The exhibitors were also extremely satisfied: 98 percent said they had reached their most important target groups. 93 percent confirmed that visitors had shown very specific interest. 94 percent would also like to participate in the Essen Motor Show again in the future. Jörg Lanzrath, Head of Trade Marketing at Ford-Werke, looks back: “Together with our Ford dealer partner Schmitz + Wieseler, we presented our MSRT products alongside our sporty passenger car models. Our off-road course and test drives for a good cause were very well received. We generated a lot of excitement among visitors with the German premiere of the Ford Mustang GTD and the premiere of the Tourneo MSRT.”
The World Wheel Award was once again a magnet for visitors. Twenty-eight wheel rim manufacturers competed against each other in Hall 3 to win the most coveted award in the wheel industry. The audience selected 16 finalists from the models on display. An online vote will follow in the spring, before the award ceremony takes place at the upcoming Essen Motor Show. This year, Ralf Sawatzki, project manager of the Essen Motor Show, presented the trophy to Levella.
Outlook: Tickets for 2026 already available

The next Essen Motor Show will take place from November 28 to December 6, 2026 (preview day: November 27). Tickets will only be sold cashless at the box office. If you don’t want to wait, tickets are already available in the online shop – an ideal gift for all car enthusiasts.

PRESS RELEASE