The 2020 New York International Auto Show (NYIAS), originally set to run from April 10-19, has been postponed due to coronavirus fears.
“We are taking this extraordinary step to help protect our attendees, exhibitors and all participants from the coronavirus,” said Mark Schienberg, president of the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association that organises the annual car show, which draws over a million attendees each year. Organisers claim that NYIAS adds US$330 million to the city’s local economy.
New York governor Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency on March 7 to help deal with the spread of the coronavirus. This Monday, Cuomo created a “containment zone” around the NYC suburb of New Rochelle to try to contain an outbreak of the virus there.
As the global pandemic widens, plenty of cultural and sporting events around the world are being cancelled or postponed. In the car world, NYIAS follows the 2020 Beijing Motor Show, which has been postponed from its original April 21-30 dates. The Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix, scheduled for next month, has also been postponed indefinitely.
The postponement of NYIAS should cause less logistical trouble than the cancellation of the Geneva Motor Show earlier this month. The most famous event in the annual motor show calendar was called off just days before it was supposed to open its doors earlier this month. The decision was taken after the Swiss government banned public gatherings of more than 1,000 people until March 15.
As the Geneva cancellation was at the last minute, show booth and media event preparations by the carmakers were already in full swing. With no more show, some carmakers unveiled their cars in small events streamed on the internet. With New York and Beijing out, the next major motor show is Detroit in June. The latter, officially known as the North American International Auto Show, is not being held in January for the first time this year.
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