Engadget has been testing and reviewing consumer tech since 2004. Our stories may include affiliate links; if you buy something through a link, we may earn a commission. Read more about how we evaluate products.
The Geneva International Motor Show is canceled for a third straight year
The pandemic is partially to blame, but so is the global chip shortage.
The 2022 Geneva International Motor Show (GIMS) won’t go forward due to the coronavirus pandemic. Following cancellations in 2020 and 2021, the trade show was supposed to return on February 19th, 2022, but that’s no longer happening. Organizers are billing the move not as a cancellation but as a postponement that will see GIMS come back as a “more impactful” event in 2023.
“The decision to cancel GIMS 2022 was made with the best interests of both car manufacturers and automotive fans in mind,” said the Committee and Council of the Foundation “Salon International de l’Automobile,” which is responsible for organizing the auto show. The group blamed the impact COVID-19 has had both on travel and event restrictions and automakers through the global semiconductor supply for the decision.
We’ve seen plenty of other auto shows get canceled in 2021, but the way GIMS continues to struggle is not a good sign for the industry. Pre-pandemic, it was one of the largest car shows in the world. It would usually attract more than 600,000 visitors, including some 10,000 journalists, to Swizterland. Beyond its sheer size and scale, the show was particularly known for all the new and wild concepts cars that would debut on its floor.
