It is no surprise by now that the worldwide spread of the COVID-19 virus has had a significant impact on the organization of large events, from conferences, to sporting events, to large shows. This year’s list of automotive events has already suffered its first hit due to the virus in the form of the cancellation of the Geneva Motor Show, and now the New York Auto Show has followed suit, though in a different way.

Rather than cancelling the show, as has been the case with major international events, the organizers of the New York Auto Show have opted to postpone the show from its original April date to August.

“For 120 years, ‘the show must go on’ has been heavily embedded in our DNA, and while the decision to move the show dates didn’t come easy, our top priority remains with the health and well-being of all those involved in this historic event. 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,”

Mark Schienberg, president of the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association

With this postponement, the Detroit Auto Show(NAIAS) is now at the front of the list for automotive events due to take place this year, after being moved from its traditional January date to its new date in June beginning this year. Like Geneva, the New York Auto Show is used by manufacturers for world premieres, while others use it for North American premieres of already-unveiled vehicles. Porsche has used the show to have their North American premiere of any vehicles that they unveil at Geneva, so this means that the premiere of the 992 Turbo S on this side of the world has been postponed. It is now likely that manufacturers that were to be present at the show will proceed forward with online premieres in April.

With the Detroit Auto Show only 3 months away, the event will be a go as of the time of writing, though its organizers have stated that its status could change. With the virus now under control in China, other nations have begun to suffer from significant spreading, leading to governments to take drastic action in an effort to have the virus under control. Hopefully things will have improved by June in the United States so that summer events can proceed without issue.

Best Regards,
Juan Reyes-Abreu