Aftermath of Auto Show Cancellations
The Coronavirus updates are starting to feel a bit like old news, but the effects of the shutdowns are everlasting on the automotive industry. For instance, the New York Auto Show was originally postponed from April to August, and then it was cancelled altogether along with the Geneva, Beijing, Detroit and Paris auto shows. The Paris event contemplated doing something with an online format but ultimately these shows won’t be seen again until next year.
So other than seeing cool demonstrations, attending forums (like JD Power) and having an excuse to sit behind the wheel of a sports car, what did we miss out on? A bunch of new vehicle launches? The excitement of touching the steel and experiencing the new car scent?
Automakers were supposed to launch 38 new cars in 2020, but all deadlines have gone out the window due to production hoops and hurdles. Some have launched, some are being postponed to later this year and some are being moved to next year. One that made it just ahead of the national crisis was the Tesla Model Y in March. Most others have not been so lucky. In fact, a lot is riding on the line for Ford, who completely redesigned the very popular F-150. Its production has been pushed a few months, which is no good for their finances.
Some other cars that have been postponed are the Ford Bronco SUV and Mustang Mach-E, the Cadillac Escalade, Nissan Frontier, Acura MDX and the Toyota Sienna. Although automakers are still pushing for these releases, the cancellations for auto shows make it hard to drum up excitement about these models. Uncertainty about how motivated consumers will be to check these new releases out is evident. There really is no turning back at this point, as too much time and money has already gone into releasing these cars.
Most notably, a few tech companies were set to release their ground-breaking vehicles, some of which with features that seemed like science fiction. We first heard about Lucid Motors in 2016 with their claims to start production in 2018. They were supposed to be releasing their Air model at the 2020 NY Auto Show and have recently announced that they will be unveiling the production version on September 9. Details about similar tech car releases are still unknown, and it will be interesting to see what these companies decide to do without the auto show hype.
Not knowing the outcome of an investment or to even have a defined timeline is daunting for automakers right now. An auto show is a wonderful opportunity to hype consumers up and get them excited about new vehicles, but this year has been a flop for new releases. We’re guessing that 2021 will hold many exciting and even more innovative vehicle launches.
