Coronavirus fears see Geneva Motor Show cancelled

Monday, 2 March 2020

BMW was scheduled to reveal its new fully electric I4 at Geneva and is now scrambling to find a new venue.

Just three days before it was due to begin, Swiss authorities have cancelled this weeks Geneva Motor Show in an effort to stop the spread of coronavirus.

More than 160 car brands were lined up to strut their stuff, with many preparing to debut new models at the event.

Volkswagen has revealed the new Golf GTI, GTD and GTE online but was set to debut the hot hatch trio at the Geneva Motor Show.

Some, such as BMW, are scrambling to find new venues for their launches while others are resorting to online reveals using social media.

Organisers had been slow to react to the global spread of coronavirus, with the decision being made for them in the end by the Swiss government, which has enacted a ban on events with more than 1000 attendees until March 15.

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Last year, more than 660,000 people visited the Geneva Motor Show, generating around NZ$322 million and making it one of the biggest motor shows of the year. However, this year would have been notably smaller, with big names like Ford, Jaguar, Tesla, Nissan and Lamborghini all electing to skip the show and host their own private events instead.

'We regret this situation, but the health of all participants is our and our exhibitors' top priority,' organiser chairman, Maurice Turrettini, said in a statement.

'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,'

Members of the public who bought tickets will be given a full refund but, as it stands, exhibitors will be left out of pocket.