We’re working our way through another week of the COVID-19 outbreak, and the coronavirus has claimed another auto show this year. This time around it’s the New York Auto Show, which was scheduled to take place in early April, after the Geneva Motor Show was canceled in early March. This time the organizers are postponing the show until August 2020, rather than canceling it outright.
The 2020 New York Auto Show will now take place between August 28 and September 6 — the dates when the show’s open to the general public. As for the press, we’ll have coverage on August 26 and 27, 2020. ” We are taking this extraordinary step to help protect our attendees, exhibitors and all participants from the coronavirus,” said president of the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association Mark Schienberg. “We have already been in communication with many of our exhibitors and partners and are confident that the new dates for the 2020 show will make for another successful event.”
What to watch out for in April
Several automakers are planning huge reveals around the New York Auto Show’s original date, so now the most likely outcome is that we will cover the debuts remotely. This includes vehicles like the 2021 Ford Bronco’s auto show debut, as well as big reveals from General Motors and even startups like Lucid Motors, whose Lucid Air is just about ready to head into production.
In the past, most of these auto shows have taken a “show must go on approach”, and organizers in New York had urged the public to take sanitary precautions to prevent contracting and spreading the disease. As the death toll from coronavirus rounds 4,000 and confirmed cases top six figures, however, governments and private organizations are rethinking public gatherings worldwide.
The next major auto show is now Detroit which is coming up in June this year. As this is the show’s first year after moving from its traditional January date, we’ll have to wait and see if the ongoing outbreak continues to affect public gatherings.
Editor’s note: While postponing the New York Auto Show is unwelcome news, maintaining public health and safety are critical. We will continue to cover media launches remotely as automakers move to online launches, and we thank you for your continued support that allows us to make videos covering the latest news, views and real-world reviews. Stay tuned for more updates coming soon!