Electrified New York Auto Show cancelled

The New York Auto Show featuring a new EV Test Fest with an entire floor dedicated to electric vehicles, scheduled for August has been cancelled due to growing incidences of the COVID-19 Delta variant and increased measures by officials to stop its spread.

New York Auto Show president Mark Schienberg says the show custodians are committed to providing a safe environment for everyone.

“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,” he says.  

“At the onset of planning for the August Show, we were 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.”

Attendees were meant to have the opportunity to take a ride in a wide range of EVs including new models from Chevrolet, Ford, Kia, Nissan, Polestar, Porsche and Volvo.

“Eight years ago, New York decided to introduce show attendees to electric vehicles by organizing its first EV test drive. Large scale adoption of EVs back in 2013 was questionable, but the program was a success and helped pave the way for future events,” Schienberg says. 

“We fully appreciate and acknowledge how important auto shows are to the manufacturers, new car and truck dealers and the public alike, and we believe in the future of these valuable marketing events.  

“Each year, attendees rely on auto shows to help make important buying decisions, spending an average of almost five hours at the exhibition, with nearly 72% of those visitors indicating that they are in the market to purchase a vehicle over the next 12 months,” he says.

“Auto shows have always been an opportunity to showcase an industry on the move and the New York Show is proud to be part of that heritage.  We firmly believe that will be the case when the show returns to its regular spring schedule in April 2022.”