It is February and for the third year in a row the automotive universe will not be getting ready for the Geneva auto show.
The annual event used to lure the best mix of brands of any show in Europe -- if not the world -- every March.
The industry was prepping to meet at Geneva in March 2020. Stands were built. Plane and hotel reservations were made. Millions and millions of euros were invested.
But just days before the show was scheduled to open the event was canceled due to COVID-19.
The Geneva show is scheduled to move to Qatar this year (no, as crazy as that sounds, it’s true). The organizers have promised to revive the Geneva show in Geneva in 2024.
The chances of that happening seem slim.
Like many other large auto shows the future of the events is unclear. Despite location changes, the IAA moved to Munich in 2021 from Frankfurt, and format tweaks to shift the focus toward mobility, events around the world -- with the exception of China -- have struggle to lure automakers and showgoers.