The 2022 Geneva motor show has already been cancelled because of Covid

The Geneva motor show’s organisers have announced that next year’s event will not go ahead, citing ‘industry-wide issues relating to the Covid-19 pandemic’.

The decision to cancel the 2022 event, scheduled to take place in February, was made because of concerns about travel for attendees, manufacturer staff and journalists, as well as the semiconductor chip crisis that has made it difficult for companies to build enough cars to meet demand.

Organisers stated that postponing the event will allow for ‘a more impactful show in 2023’.

In 2020, the Geneva motor show was one of the first major global events to be hit by the pandemic, when it was forced to cancel after the Swiss government put a ban on gatherings of more than 1,000 people one week before it opened its doors.

This year’s event was also cancelled because of the pandemic, meaning 2022 will be the third year in a row that the show does not go ahead.

The CEO of the Geneva International Motor Show (GIMS), Sandro Mesquita, said: “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.

“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.”

The show’s organisers have said 2022 was scheduled to be the first year of a revamped event, which planned to be more digitally focused to give people new ways to interact. These changes will continue to be worked on and implemented for the 2023 show.

In August, GIMS organisers announced a new version of the show that would take place biennially in Qatar. The Geneva show will continue to take place every year, but the new event will be a separate entity held in the Qatari capital, Doha.