Motor Show 'set for a return to the capital'

The British Motor Show could make a surprise return to London after organisers snubbed the capital "for good" five years ago.

This year's show at Birmingham's National Exhibition Centre drew crowds of only 461,000 when organisers had hoped for 600,000.

They believe a return to London next year might let them recapture some of the show's traditional glamour, Auto Express magazine reveals today.

They quit the capital in 2000 after motor manufacturers complained the show no longer had the international clout of its competitors in Paris, Geneva and Frankfurt.

Industry chiefs boycotted the 2001 Earls Court show, forcing its cancellation.

Today the organiser - the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders - admitted it was considering leaving the NEC, although the show has been staged there every other year since 1978. A spokesman told Auto Express: " Everything is up for grabs and that includes the venue."

Industry sources believe the show is more likely to go to the modern ExCeL facility in Docklands than Earls Court.