2020 New York Auto Show, Rescheduled For August, Now Canceled

The already-postponed 2020 New York Auto Show is postponed yet again – all the way until next year. After the coronavirus pandemic forced organizers to reschedule the April event to late this August, the disease is still causing trouble for the show. The pandemic turned the Javits Center, where organizers host the event, into a field hospital for COVID-19 patients. While it has yet to treat anyone, it remains on standby if the need arises, according to organizers who spoke with told Automotive News.

The uncertainty of the viral outbreak coupled with automakers needing immense planning to put together a show led to the event's postponement. The new show will now start April 2, 2021, and run through April 11, 2021. The show would have also contended with ongoing stay-at-home orders and various government decrees to limit gatherings, which New York has done through Labor Day in early September.

The New York Auto Show joins a growing list of automotive events around the world that have been upended by the virus. The Geneva Motor Show was one of the first canceled, with the Detroit Auto Show and Paris Motor Show canceling as well. The virus has upended much of the automotive industry, from motorsport events to manufacturing. Automotive factories are just now beginning to restart production lines, and they, too, are running into issues.

This year's New York Auto Show was when we were supposed to see several new and exciting models, like the new Ford Bronco Sport, which Ford had planned to reveal in April. While automakers are adjusting their launch schedules, some automakers bowed out from the New York show long before the virus. Both Audi and Mercedes announced before the show's cancelation that they'd skip the spring show. Their announcement is an indicator of how such events are beginning to lose their luster as automakers realize they can still reach a vast audience without an expensive show stand.