COVID19

Major car shows have been struggling for years. But, COVID-19 may mean their ultimate demise.

By Jaime E. Love 8 months ago
"The auto show was certainly on life support already," said Jeff Schuster, lead auto analyst with consultancy LMC Automotive. "With the rolling cancellation of one show after another, the coronavirus may be speeding up their demise."
“The auto show was certainly on life support already,” said Jeff Schuster, lead auto analyst with consultancy LMC Automotive. “With the rolling cancellation of one show after another, the coronavirus may be speeding up their demise.”

(Photo by Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

  • The coronavirus pandemic threatens the future of traditional car shows as attendance dwindles and sponsorship weakens.

  • Car shows face competition as automotive manufacturers turn to the internet and off-site media previews to debut new vehicles.

  • Experts don’t expect traditional car shows to disappear completely but suggested that car shows must innovate if they are to stay relevant.

  • Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.

Last week would have been a big week in Motown, the North American International Auto Show opening its doors to the public for the first time since abandoning its traditional winter timetable in January 2019.

The move aimed to revitalize what

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UK car industry warns one in six jobs could be lost after COVID-19 crisis

By Jaime E. Love 8 months ago
Thousands of unwanted new and used cars at Thurleigh Airfield in Bedfordshire, England. Photo: Chris Gorman/Getty Images
Thousands of unwanted new and used cars at Thurleigh Airfield in Bedfordshire, England. Photo: Chris Gorman/Getty Images

 A third of the automotive industry workforce in the UK is still on furlough after coronavirus lockdowns and a collapse in demand brought the sector to a near-total halt in the past couple of months.

According to a new survey by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), there were more than 6,000 redundancies in the car industry in the month of June — and one in six jobs will remain at risk when the government’s furlough scheme ends in November.

SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes today called on the government for a specific ‘restart package” to safeguard against jobs losses, and help boost recovery for the important industry.

“The prolonged shutdown has squeezed liquidity and the pressures are becoming more acute as expenditure resumes before invoices are paid,” said Hawes in

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