Paris Motor Show cancelled due to coronavirus

The Paris Motor Show has been cancelled for this year in response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Organisers have cited both the uncertainty caused by Covid-19 and its economic impact too.

The biennial event was due to start on September 29 at the Porte de Versailles exhibition centre. It alternates each year with the Frankfurt motor show, and attracted more than a million visitors during the 2018 event.

In a statement released yesterday evening, organisers said: “In light of the seriousness of this unprecedented health crisis and its consequent economic shock wave, which has severely struck the automotive sector, we are forced to announce that we will not be able to hold the 2020 Paris Motor Show in its current format at the Porte de Versailles.”

However, organisers added that side events – such as the Movin’On innovation summit and the Smartcity show – were “not concerned for the moment”.

They added: “We are thoroughly examining all alternative solutions with our main partners. The deep reinvention of the event has already initiated, particularly with the Festival dimension around sustainable mobility as well as an important B-to-B section, could offer this opportunity.

“Nothing will ever be the same, but from this crisis we must learn to become agile, creative and more innovative than ever.”

The news surrounding the Paris Motor Show follows in the wake of several other similar events which have been cancelled or postponed in response to the coronavirus outbreak, including the Geneva Motor Show and the New York Auto Show.