Mounting fears about the spread of the Coronavirus (Covid-19) in Europe has led to the abrupt cancellation of the Geneva International Motor Show just days before it was scheduled to begin.
Scheduled to take place between March 2-15 in Geneva, Switzerland, Europe’s premier motoring event was cancelled yesterday after the Swiss government banned gatherings of 1,000 people or more. “This comes as a preventative measure in response to the coronavirus epidemic raging in Europe and now in Switzerland,” said Maurice Turrettini, chairman of the board that runs the Geneva auto show.
There were several highly anticipated electric vehicles (EV’s) to be unveiled at the show, but alternative plans have already been made for some.
The BMW i4, which was scheduled to be unveiled at the show on Tuesday, March 3rd, will still go ahead at the planned time, but instead will be held online for anyone in the world to watch. BMW CEO Oliver Zipse will host the livestream at 2:15am EST on Tuesday, according to a press release.
Other EV reveals included the Audi e-tron S, Polestar Precept, Fiat 500e, and Renault Twingo ZE. Alternative plans for the unveiling of these vehicles will be announced soon.