New York motor show postponed

ORGANISERS of the New York International Auto Show have announced the event has been postponed until August, in the wake of the coronavirus scare that has caused a number of mass gatherings to be postponed or cancelled.

Originally scheduled to kick off in early April, the New York show will instead be moved to August 28, with media days preceding on the 26^th and 27^th.

President of the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association (which owns the and operates the NY show) Mark Schienberg said the health and wellbeing of the fans and exhibitors was the top priority.

“We are taking this extraordinary step to help protect our attendees, exhibitors and all participants from the coronavirus,” he said.

“For 120 years, ‘the show must go on’ has been heavily embedded in our DNA, and while the decision to move the show dates didn’t come easy, our top priority remains with the health and well-being of all those involved in this historic event.

“We have already been in communication with many of our exhibitors and partners and are confident that the new dates for the 2020 show will make for another successful event.”

According to the release, the show brings in roughly $US330 million ($A499m) in economic benefits, including for workers at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Centre where the event is held, located in the Hudson Yards district of Manhattan in New York City.

In past years it has drawn crowds of over one million people, with more than 5000 reporters in attendance.

In the days and weeks leading up to the announcement, organisers took various precautions in an attempt to allow the show to continue, including adding 70 hand-sanitising stations, however it was deemed the show could not go on.

The coronavirus has wreaked havoc on the 2020 motor show schedule, with one of the largest motor shows in the world – the Geneva motor show – cancelled altogether earlier this month after the Swiss government cracked down on all large-scale events.

Furthermore, the Auto China show in Beijing has been postponed indefinitely, with organisers yet to announce a make-up date for the show originally set to begin next month.

There is no word yet on whether the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) will be postponed, which ironically was moved from January to June for the first time in order to draw greater crowds in the summer weather.