The COVID-19 pandemic has laid waste to numerous exciting automotive events and some of them are Auto Shows that all of us including automakers, buyers and enthusiasts eagerly wait for. Just days after SIAM announced postponement of the highly anticipated 2022 Auto Expo, even organisers of the 2021 New York Auto show have pulled the plug on the much-awaited event. The organisers of the New York Auto Show have concerns regarding the safety of visitors and exhibitors, with concern growing over an anticipated third-wave of COVID-19.
Also Read: Auto Expo 2022 Postponed Citing Uncertainty Over COVID-19 Third Wave: SIAM
New York Auto Show 2021 was to provide a dedicated floor to EVs.
The statement from the organisers read, "As custodians of the 121-year-old New York Auto Show, we are committed to providing a safe environment for everyone including attendees, exhibitors, and the thousands of men and women who put the Show together. Over the past few weeks, and especially within the last few days, circumstances have changed making it more difficult to create an event at the high standard that we and our clients expect. At the onset of planning for the August Show, we were increasingly excited at the prospect of hosting the event as the number of vaccinations in New York continued to climb and mask-wearing reduced the spread in the City. All signs were positive, and the Show was coming together stronger than ever, but today is a different story. The COVID pandemic has challenged our City, the country and the entire world, but just like the automobile industry, we know that the New York Auto Show will rebound and be bigger and better than before. We firmly believe that will be the case when the Show returns to its regular spring schedule in April 2022."
Even 2020 edition of the New York Auto Show was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The show was scheduled this month itself and the industry was expecting an overwhelming involvement in the new EV Test Fest and an entire floor was to be dedicated to electric vehicles and four indoor EV test tracks. That said, organisers will likely stick to the same plan if the Auto Show can be rescheduled in April 2022, given the circumstances pertaining to the COVID-19 pandemic. Even 2020 edition of the New York Auto Show was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
