Paris Auto Show Adds to Growing List of Cancelled Events
The 2020 Paris Auto Show, which was supposed to run from October 1-11, has just been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The announcement was made a few hours ago in a statement by Plateforme Automobile (PFA), the collective of industry professionals in charge of organizing the event.
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According to PFA president Luc Chatel, the show will not take place in its current format, but some features including Movin’On, Smart City and other exterior attractions remain on schedule for now. However, all alternative solutions are on the table, he warned.
Similar to other major auto shows, particularly Detroit’s NAIAS, the organizers of the Paris Auto Show had planned a brand new formula this year in hope of attracting more manufacturers and visitors.
Beyond health and safety concerns, there’s the matter of economics. Automakers have seen their sales take a big drop in Europe since February and participation in these events requires huge sums of money that are just not available right now or in the next few months.
Paris follows Geneva (March), Beijing (April) and Detroit (June) on the list of auto shows cancelled by COVID-19. The New York Auto Show has been pushed from April to late August, but we doubt it will actually take place given the severity of the crisis in the U.S. and particularly in New York City.