The 2020 New York Auto Show has gone the way of the Geneva International Auto Show. Due to concerns regarding the spread of Covid-19, known colloquially as the coronavirus, show organizers have elected to move the show from it’s traditional April date to late August.
The show will go on. Dates for the event are August 28- September 6 at the Javits Convention Center in Manhattan. Press days, where vehicles are revealed, will proceed the show’s official opening.
“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, the organization that owns and operates the New York Auto Show.
“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,” Schienberg added.
The show not only has a $330 million economic benefit, but serves as a global showcase for automakers often serving as one of the prime shows on the automotive calendar. Its influential spot on the list means that it traditionally serves as a venue for numerous product debuts and executive interviews.
It is immediately clear if some automakers will choose to debut their products in smaller settings in New York around the time that the show usually commences or if they will push those debuts further down the calendar. The next major auto show is the North American Innternational Auto Show in Detroit, which recently moved to mid-June.
