As just announced on the Geneva International Motor Show official website, the 2020 edition of the show has been officially cancelled due to the Coronavirus outbreak.
The Swiss government, amid concerns of a sharp uptick of cases reported in Switzerland and the ongoing outbreak in Italy, put an injunction into place this morning to cancel or ban gatherings or events where more than 1,000 people would be present.
The organizers of the Geneva show quickly contacted all exhibitors and informed them that because of the government policy, there was no other option but to cancel the show.
Many of the anticipated reveals and show specials will still occur, however, in a more digital form. Expect announcements from your favorite manufacturers such as Ferrari, Mercedes, and Koenigsegg, over the weekend for livestreams or special announcement videos showing off their models.
Maurice Turrettini, Chairman of the Geneva Motor Show Foundation board, said:”We regret this situation, but the health of all participants is our and our exhibitors’ top priority. This is a case of force majeure and a tremendous loss for the manufacturers who have invested massively in their presence in Geneva. However, we are convinced that they will understand this decision.”
The financial impact to exhibitors and the show foundation itself has yet to be measured, but it is expected to range into the multiple millions of dollars.
UPDATE (1240 Hours EST 2/28/2020):
Porsche has just sent out a press release to all media outlets, including Supercars.net, that the new 2020 Porsche 911 Turbo will be shown via live stream, hosted by Porsche Factory Driver Mark Webber, on March 3, 2020, at 1010 Hours CET (0410 hours EST). Details of the release can be found here.
