It was a radical decision that was made in Switzerland. The Federal Council has decided to ban demonstrations by more than 1,000 people in order to stem the spread of the coronavirus. The organizers of the Geneva Motor Show therefore had no other choice than to simply cancel the 2020 edition, which was to start on Monday afternoon with the conference revealing the name of the Car of the Year 2020.
A little thunderbolt in the automotive industry, Geneva being one of the most international car shows. It was also the meeting that resisted best another epidemic, that of the absenteeism of the manufacturers in the living rooms, even if it is true that big names had not already planned to come this year (Peugeot, Citroën, Nissan or Volvo).
But the whole Fiat group was there, the whole Volkswagen group (excluding Lamborghini), Renault and its Dacia and Alpine brands, the Korean Kia / Hyundai, the premium tenors of BMW and Mercedes, Honda, Mazda… The revelry program remained so tempting, with a nice range of novelties. As always, many brands had taken the lead, revealing a preview in recent weeks of their new products. We have already seen the DS9 and DS Aero Sport Lounge, Hyundai i20, Kia Sorento, Renault Mégane and Talisman restyled, Seat Leon, Volkswagen Caddy…
But there are also the novelties which wait until the last moment to show themselves. And the cancellation therefore embarrasses the brands that have still kept secrets from stars. They must urgently think about a new communication plan. During the day on Friday, several announced via their social networks or press releases that they intended to organize digital press conferences when they had to do it in real time in Geneva.
This will be the case, for example, for BMW, which will virtually lift the veil on the Concept i4. Porsche will do the same to present the new 911 Turbo, as will McLaren to unveil a new LT variant. Conference also online for Mercedes which will present the restyled E-Class.
Audi has said for its part that it will present as planned the new A3, which was one of the biggest stars of Geneva 2020! For the rest of the VW group, we also expected the Skoda Octavia RS, the Cupra Formentor and the Bentley Bacalar.
Renault will also adapt its planning. He will present his Morphoz concept car online on Monday morning. The concept of low-cost electric Dacia will be shown on Tuesday morning. The unknown remains on the side of the Fiat group, where we expect a big novelty: the new 500, with a 100% electric motor. Alfa Romeo was to present a Giulia GTA. Among the vehicles that were announced for March 3, there was also Toyota’s urban SUV.
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