2021 New York Auto Show Canceled, Citing COVID-19 Delta Variant
The 2021 New York International Auto Show, rescheduled to Aug. 20-29 from its traditional springtime dates, has been canceled due to heightened concerns of a resurgent COVID-19 pandemic driven largely by the new delta strain.
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“It is with great disappointment that the upcoming 2021 New York International Automobile Show at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center has been canceled due to the growing incidences of the COVID-19 delta variant and the increased measures announced recently by state and local officials to stop its spread,” Mark Schienberg, president of the auto show, said in an emailed statement today.
A media day with previews from at least six brands was scheduled for Aug. 19. The New York show, like most others, was canceled in 2020 due to a then-emerging COVID-19 pandemic. The auto-show circuit remained largely empty until the spring and early summer of 2021, when events like Auto Shanghai and the Chicago Auto Show resumed what was thought to be a return to a robust, if provisional, auto-show calendar.
Newly surging cases of COVID-19, some among vaccinated individuals, have apparently upended that. As of Tuesday, the U.S. totaled 92,005 new daily cases on a seven-day rolling average, according to a database compiled by The New York Times. That’s up nearly ninefold over the past month and 139% versus what it was two weeks ago, though the increase in hospitalizations and deaths over the same 14-day period — up 92% and 49%, respectively — have trailed the caseloads.
In recent days, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reinstated a mask recommendation for indoor settings in regions with high virus transmission, even for individuals vaccinated against COVID-19. On Tuesday, New York reportedly became the first major city to require proof of COVID-19 vaccination to enter restaurants, gyms and other businesses, though it wasn’t immediately clear if the Javits Center was subject to such mandates. As of this writing, 61% of Americans age 18 and up have been fully vaccinated, according to The New York Times.
“Over the past few weeks, and especially within the last few days, circumstances have changed, making it more difficult to create an event at the high standard that we and our clients expect,” Schienberg’s statement continued. “At the onset of planning for the August show, we were increasingly excited at the prospect of hosting the event as the number of vaccinations in New York continued to climb and mask-wearing reduced the spread in the city. All signs were positive, and the show was coming together stronger than ever, but today is a different story.”
The next event on the show circuit is Motor Bella, a Detroit-area outdoor festival scheduled for September by the organizers of the North American International Auto Show. “At this time, we will continue our current planning for the first-ever Motor Bella event,” organizers said in a statement. “We remain in close contact with civic and health officials, and will work to ensure that Motor Bella is a safe and effective event for our industry partners and attendees.”
Editor’s note: This story was updated Aug. 4, 2021, to include a statement on the status of Motor Bella.
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