Coronavirus Forces Geneva Show Cancelation, Cars to Debut Online
After Geneva’s cancelation, Porsche and BMW are revealing upcoming products entirely online. Is New York next?
For decades, auto shows served a pretty clear purpose: to get the buying public excited about new cars. Obviously, companies cater to shoppers because they want their hard-earned money. But many enthusiasts, especially, those of us here at Team Speed, became life long car fans due to the formative experiences we had at car shows. There’s no substitute for seeing and touching the real thing.
Sadly, 2020 may spell the beginning of the end for the car show as we know it. Coronavirus fears prompted Switzerland to ban any public event expecting more than 1,000 visitors. That means the Geneva International Motor Show, which was scheduled to open later this week, was canceled. As a result, BMW, Porsche, Bentley, and presumably other automakers have shifted gears and will take to the internet for the debuts they previously had planned to do in person. While their decisions make sense, the advent of online streaming severely hampered the impact of physical shows several years ago. These latest events may do them in permanently.
BMW’s and Porsche’s Plans
With several teasers, including the above picture, it became clear that BMW planned to debut the Concept i4 at Geneva’s press event, which was originally supposed to be revealed at the show tomorrow. Instead, the company will hold a virtual press conference on March 3 at 2 a.m. ET. BMW CEO Oliver Zipse is set to personally reveal the concept to the public. Porsche also planned to more formally introduce the 911 to the buying public. Other companies, like Audi, Mercedes-Benz, and Bentley, intend to debut their products online too, but formal plans for those introductions are unclear as of this writing. Clearly, automakers are scrambling to get ahead of the very abrupt cancelation of the show.
“We regret this situation, but the health of all participants is our and our exhibitors’ top priority. This is a case of force majeure and a tremendous loss for the manufacturers who have invested massively in their presence in Geneva. However, we are convinced that they will understand this decision,” said Maurice Turrettini, Chairman of the Foundation Board. We would like to warmly thank all those involved in the organization of the 2020 edition of GIMS.”
Are Auto Shows An Endangered Species?
Clearly, automotive enthusiasm takes a back seat to public health any day of the week. That being said, we certainly hope this doesn’t signal an upcoming trend. The state of the public auto show suffered several losses throughout the years as major automakers retreated from certain regional events. Show organizers themselves have resorted to majorly switching up their schedules as well. Last year, the organization behind the Detroit Auto Show decided to push the event back to June. That paradigm shift took place because of years of declining attendance. Beyond the hostile January weather, attendance dropped because manufacturers decided to bail on the show. Why spend millions on a temporary display when a YouTube video will suffice? That’s the thinking that has led to the diminished impact of auto shows in recent years. It’s entirely possible the coronavirus will accelerate that trend.
And that’s the exact type of thinking that might impact the New York International Auto Show. Set to premiere next month, the New York show is going on as planned. At least for now. “With just under six weeks to go before the 2020 New York International Auto Show‘s press preview days, we are moving forward with plans to open the show as scheduled. We are in communication with state and local officials and the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, and, at this point, there are no plans to cancel any shows at the facility,” said the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association, organizers of the New York International Auto Show. We’re hoping for a swift end to the coronavirus. And we applaud every organization involved with taking the precautionary measures necessary to protect the public.
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