The 2022 Geneva motor show has officially been canceled, show organizers confirmed Thursday in a press release. Originally scheduled for February 2022, organizers are now targeting a 2023 date for the show’s return.
Organizers cited “the direct and indirect issues relating to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic” as the reason for the decision. The direct issues include ongoing travel restrictions that could hinder the ability of exhibitors, journalists, and the general public to attend the show, the press release said.
The ongoing semiconductor shortage that sprung from pandemic-related business decisions has also had an impact, leading to some recent cancellations, according to show organizers. Many exhibitors had indicated that they couldn’t make a firm commitment to the show for 2022, Geneva motor show CEO Sandro Mesquita said in a statement.
Geneva was the first auto show affected by the pandemic. In late February 2020, the show was canceled just before it was scheduled to open, with exhibits already set up. Organizers tentatively planned to try again later in the year, but that proved impossible, and the 2021 Geneva show was canceled as well. The show was also put up for sale.
The pandemic led to the cancellation of most other major auto shows in 2020. The New York auto show, scheduled to start a few weeks after Geneva, was canceled because its site, the Jacob K. Javits Center, was converted into an emergency hospital.
As vaccinations roll out, auto shows are making a gradual return. Auto Shanghai 2021 was held in February, while the Chicago Auto Show returned in July, in abbreviated form. The Detroit auto show was replaced by a different event called Motor Bella. However, the 2021 New York auto show, originally scheduled for August, was cancelled. At the time of publication, the 2021 Los Angeles auto show and the SEMA aftermarket show are still scheduled to go on later in the year.