Washington - Organisers canceled the Detroit Motor Show on Saturday, citing the coronavirus pandemic, with the Federal Emergency Management Agency set to tap the convention centre venue into a temporary field hospital.
The annual North American International Auto Show in Detroit, which has traditionally been used by carmakers around the world to unveil new and concept vehicles, will now only be held in June 2021.
That would mean a gap of almost two-and-a-half years since the most recent show, which normally draws thousands of automotive journalists. The event was held in January, until last year, but was shifted to June subsequently.
The state of Michigan has been hard hit by the coronavirus and has reported 4650 coronavirus cases and 111 deaths, including nearly 1000 new cases on Saturday and 19 deaths. That is the third highest among US states.
Car Companies have been forced to temporarily cancel nearly all of their US vehicle production in recent weeks, and some are taking aggressive steps to cut costs or tap credit lines as new vehicle sales plummet.
The New York Auto Show, which was supposed to have been held in April this year, was postponed until August. The Javits Convention Centre in Manhattan, where the show is held, is also being repurposed into a makeshift hospital.
Reuters
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