Official: Cancellation of the 2020 Geneva Motor Show
A press release at the beginning of the week had reassured the entire automotive industry by stating that the Geneva Motor Show was still scheduled. However, today the event has been officially canceled against the wishes of the organizers. The decision comes directly from the Swiss authorities.
The Swiss Federal Council met this morning exceptionally. This emergency meeting aimed to take necessary measures to protect the Swiss population from the Coronavirus. The FIA has already taken measures by postponing the Chinese Grand Prix. And although the organizers had reassured the media by stating that the show would still take place, the decision taken this morning by the Federal Council forces a complete cancellation.
It’s a hard blow for the organization of the Geneva Motor Show. The GIMS was supposed to open to journalists at the beginning of next week and be held over the following two weeks.
A press release sent a few hours ago confirms the cancellation, not without regret: « We regret this situation, but the health of everyone, both participants and visitors, is our top priority, as well as that of our exhibitors. This is a case of force majeure and a very hard blow for the exhibitors who have heavily invested in their presence in Geneva. Nonetheless, we are convinced that they will understand this decision, explains Maurice Turrettini, President of the Foundation Council.
The reason for the cancellation of the GIMS is related to the decision of the Swiss federal authorities to immediately cancel all events gathering more than 1,000 people. The infrastructure was already 90% ready. Everything will now have to be dismantled and administrative issues resolved.
Note also that the show is canceled for /f1/actualite/23881-officiel-le-grand-prix-de-chine-reporte.html and will not be rescheduled.
Automobile brands will each take their responsibility to unveil their new products at a later show or through digital means from Geneva.
The 2019 Salon brought together more than 600,000 visitors. The economic impact for the Canton of Geneva is estimated at 200-250 million Francs, or nearly 200 million Euros. These are significant losses that may strongly impact the health of the event organizer itself in the coming years.
