Geneva Auto Show Shut Down: Corona Pneumonia Drops a Bombshell on Auto Industry

Key words: geneva auto show; corona virus; new crown pneumonia; howo parts; sinotruk parts

AFP issued a heavy news this afternoon in Beijing time: During the Corona epidemic, Switzerland suspended all major activities of more than 1,000 participants. This ban will take effect immediately and the current validity will continue till March 15. Subsequently, the Geneva Motor Show Organizing Committee held a press conference to announce the cancellation of this year's Geneva Motor Show.
 

 
Prior to this, the Geneva Watch Show, which opened later than the Geneva Motor Show, had already announced the cancellation of this year's show due to the spread of the Corona epidemic in Europe, and Barcelona Mobile World Congress, which plays a significant role in the technology industry, was canceled for the same reason. Undoubtedly, the Geneva Motor Show is by far the most famous and oldest show in Europe in the face of the new crown epidemic.
 
A few weeks ago, with the spread of the new crown epidemic in Europe, it was reported that the Geneva Motor Show Organizing Committee was considering cancelling this year's auto show. According to these news, many exhibitors and industry participants have decided to withdraw from this year's Geneva Motor Show, including Cadillac, Citroen, Ford, Jaguar Land Rover, Lamborghini, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Opel, Peugeot, Subaru, Tata and Volvo And other brands.
 
Although as of yesterday, 4 cases of new Corona pneumonia have been confirmed in Switzerland, 70 suspected cases are awaiting further diagnosis. In addition, every working day, 70,000 Italian citizens will go to work in the Canton of Ticino, Switzerland. The Lombardy Region, which is close to Switzerland, is also the region with the most severe epidemic in Italy. However, Switzerland still maintains the risk level of the epidemic as medium and does not close the border. Therefore, in the current situation, canceling the crowded assembly and reducing the risk of large-scale transmission at one time has become the most urgent decision of the Swiss government.
 



The 90th Geneva Motor Show, which was supposed to be held on March 5, has also become the first stop in the history of the auto show since the resumption of the World War II in 1946. Looking at the 115-year history of the Geneva Motor Show, it can lead to its suspension. In addition to the two world wars, there is only this year's new crown pneumonia outbreak.
 
A car show that was once stopped because of the World War
 
On April 29, 1905, at a polling station on the Georges Favon avenue in Geneva for elections, the exhibition, which was then named "National Automobile and Bicycle Show", was organized under the enthusiasm of Swiss folk car enthusiasts. Although the exhibition area at that time was only 1,200 square meters, there were only 37 booths. But it was unexpected that as many as 17,500 people came to visit in 7 days, and the star model Clement also appeared in the newspaper repeatedly. Seeing the sensation caused by the auto show in Swiss society, the second year of the Geneva auto show also arrived on schedule.
 

 
Until the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, car shows in Switzerland and other parts of the world were forced to stop, which was the first pre-history stop of the Geneva Motor Show. It is called prehistoric because the Geneva Motor Show, held in 1924 after the end of the First World War, can truly be regarded as orthodox. The resumption of the Geneva Motor Show attracted 200 plus exhibitors and 68,000 visitors from the beginning. In the second year, the number of visitors quickly exceeded 100,000. Since the first Geneva Motor Show, it has been regarded as the vane of the development of new technologies and new products in the automotive world, whether it is the famous Opel in 1925, Laubfrosch, or the 1931 Maybach superb The limousine Zeppelin, which debuted at the Geneva Motor Show. Even if the Great Depression of the world from 1929 to 1933 led to the weak pace of the introduction of new products by major auto companies, it still did not stop the Geneva Motor Show from continuously expanding its influence.
 

 
This situation persisted until the 16th Geneva Motor Show in 1939. In a poster issued this year at the Geneva Motor Show, satin made from the flags of the United States, Germany, Britain, France, and Switzerland was wrapped around a steering wheel. However, just four days after the Geneva Motor Show, Nazi Germany aggressively invaded Czechoslovakia. On September 1, World War II officially started with the German invasion of Poland. Since then, the Geneva Motor Show has fallen into a second suspension.
 

 
In 1946, with the end of World War II, the Geneva Motor Show was restored to life. As European countries began to vigorously develop the automotive industry at that time, the internal tariff barriers in Europe were gradually eliminated, making the European automotive market unprecedentedly prosperous, and consumer demand for car purchases also rose sharply. The Geneva Motor Show, which is back on track, while facing huge development opportunities, also needs to face opponents such as the Paris Motor Show that are also revitalized by the outbreak of the European auto market. Since the Geneva Motor Show in 1949, while the exhibition area has been expanding, the Geneva Motor Show has delegated the power of booth layout to each exhibiting company. In addition, the atmosphere of car communication here is more harmonious, and Switzerland does not have too strong a car brand. Making Geneva fair to every European car company. These features make auto companies more willing to release new products that can fully demonstrate their characteristics at the Geneva Motor Show. This is also the story of the amazing car show of the Fiat 1400 in 1950, the Saab 92 in 1953 and the Jaguar E-Type that drove from England to Geneva overnight.
 

 
It is not just car shows affected by the epidemic.
 
In addition to the Geneva Motor Show, which was announced this year, this year's Beijing Auto Show has also previously been postponed. Earlier, I also mentioned that the Geneva Watch Fair and the Mobile World Congress have also been cancelled due to the new crown pneumonia epidemic. There is no doubt that the cancellation of these exhibitions will more or less affect the planning of companies participating in these conferences this year.
 
Earlier, Forbes Magazine's website published an article that pointed out that the always-forward-looking Geneva Motor Show was originally a good opportunity for major automakers to promote electrification transformation. However, under the influence of the epidemic, fewer exhibitors, less attractive exhibitions, and even the global auto industry are at risk, which will cast a shadow over the electric transformation of car companies.
 
The key models that were expected to be unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show this year, such as Mercedes-Benz's new E-Class sedan, BMW i4, and Audi's new A3 release plans will be seriously affected. In the previously revealed spy photos of the Geneva Motor Show exhibition hall, Alfa Romeo's new model has also arrived at the show. It would have taken off the mysterious veil in front of the world after a week. Although the influence of the traditional auto show is diminishing in today's increasingly developed Internet economy, it is still a very important node for new car releases and publicity for auto companies. The cancellation of the auto show is bound to disrupt their already deployed plans. 


 
As time goes by, many auto companies have chosen to release their new electrified products and intelligent strategic deployment at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, USA. And those companies betting to announce their strategy at the Geneva Motor Show will also miss the best opportunity to create the same voice as their peers. For example, the Fiat 500e, Toyota's small SUV built on the TNGA-B platform architecture, and the Polestar Precept 4-door coupe concept car all lost this excellent opportunity to showcase themselves. Similarly, we will also miss the Easter egg brought to us by the "Living Speed" car brand Rinspeed, which is essential for the Geneva Motor Show every year.
 
There is no doubt that the shutdown due to the new crown epidemic will continue to weaken the status and charm of the Geneva Motor Show. And also because of the new crown epidemic, the automotive industry with a very long industrial chain is undergoing unprecedented tests.



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