Italy's OICA-sanctioned motor show took place in Turin, but it has not been held since 2001 because of a scarce number of foreign exhibitors. That makes the Bologna show, which is held at a major transportation hub for the Italian North, the de facto "Italian passenger car show."

The site, Bologna Fiere, is about 5 minutes by taxi from the city's Central train station and about 9 km from the airport. There is a shuttle bus from Bologna Central to improve access even more.

The exhibition is split up into 20 or so halls of various sizes, which robs the show of any feeling of unity or integration. The halls themselves are long and narrow, and therefore, one would think, difficult to exhibit in. If there is one unifying factor among the halls and outside areas, it would have to be the amount of uncollected garbage. The cleaning staffs seemed much less compared to the Tokyo Motor Show and other shows.

Admission, at 22 euros (approximately 3,000 yen), is fairly pricey when you consider that a movie ticket in Italy is only about 9 euros (approximately 1,200 yen). Not surprisingly, most of the visitors were young car enthusiasts.

Approximately 300 companies from 19 countries exhibited. Japanese exhibitors (brands) included Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Subaru, Mitsubishi, Mazda and Isuzu; Italian exhibitors included Alpha Romeo, Fiat, Ferrari, Maserati, Lamborghini and Lancia. Among them, Pininfarina, a name virtually synonymous with "carrozzeria," also had its own booth.

The racetrack was one of the most popular outside venues, and a number of races were indeed held. Also popular was the trial zone by brand, which featured cars from Toyota, Nissan, Honda (motorcycles), Fiat and Land Rover, among others.