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Detroit show falls casualty to virus

Venue for annual event is set to be transformed into a hospital as Covid-19 cases in the US continue to climb.
Posted on 30 March, 2020
Detroit show falls casualty to virus

The Detroit motor show has been cancelled as the event’s venue is set to become a makeshift hospital to help in the fight against the coronavirus.

Organisers of the annual North American International Auto Show, which is used by marques to showcase new and concept vehicles, will now be held in June 2021.

It means that when the event happens it will have been nearly two-and-a-half years since the last show after it was moved from its usual spot in January to June from this year. 

The 2020 show was set to be Detroit’s big unveiling of autonomous technology being integrated with vehicles, which has become a focal point for many car companies in the city.

The state of Michigan has been hard hit by Covid-19 and has reported 4,650 coronavirus cases and 111 deaths. The US army has been assessing a number of sites to use as field hospitals to help cope with the increasing number of patients hit by the disease.

Carmakers in the state have also been forced to suspend production in recent weeks because of the outbreak.

The Detroit show is the latest in the US to be hit by the pandemic after the New York Auto Show, which was due to be held in April, was postponed until August. The Javits Convention Centre in Manhattan, where the show is held, is also being repurposed into a makeshift hospital.

International car shows such as those in Switzerland and China have also become casualties of the pandemic and been forced to cancel or reschedule.