Geneva Motor Show postponed yet again due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Car fans would have to live with yet another disappointment as one of the world’s major international automotive events, the Geneva International Motor Show (GIMS), continues to be postponed for 2022 due to problems posed by the ongoing pandemic.

Fans of the prestigious automotive exhibit will have to wait until at least 2023

 In a statement on the GIMS website, organizer Comité permanent du Salon international de l’automobile (Permanent Committee of the Geneva International Motor Show) has announced that it is foregoing the February 2022 edition. According to its president Maurice Turrettini, cancelling the upcoming show was the inevitable conclusion after numerous challenges made the staging practically impossible. 

“We have pushed very hard and tried everything to reactivate the Geneva International Motor Show in 2022,” he said. “Despite all our efforts, we have to face the facts and the reality: the pandemic situation is not under control and presents itself as a big threat for a large indoor event like GIMS.”

The last time the event was staged was in March 2019

Issues attributable to the pandemic include ongoing travel restrictions for international exhibitors, visitors, and members of the automotive press. The current semiconductor shortage is also an enormous hurdle for automakers, with results ranging from releasing heavily downgraded units to postponing new model launches altogether.    
 
“Many exhibitors have indicated that the uncertainties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic make it impossible for them to make a firm commitment for GIMS 2022,” noted GIMS CEO Sandro Mesquita. He believes that the chip shortage will continue well into the next year, with adverse financial impacts on original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), so brands are unable to make a commitment regarding their participation. 

“When considering all the factors, it became clear that it was necessary to postpone the show, and to announce the news sooner than later to avoid cancelling at short notice,” Mesquita said.  

A spin-off event is scheduled to premiere in Qatar by 2022

For his part, Turrettini sees the postponement as an opportunity to further refine and improve preparations for the event’s eventual return. “I am confident that the Geneva International Motor Show will come back stronger than ever in 2023,” he promised. 

The GIMS has been put on hold since March 2020, after the Swiss government imposed a limit on gatherings of over 1,000 people. Organizers have partnered with the Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) to hold a biennial spin-off event in Doha beginning in 2022. 

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