The show, which is a key launch pad for new product for the world's biggest auto market, has been rescheduled to protect the health and safety of exhibitors and spectators, organizers said.

Organizers stopped short of canceling or postponing the show, but they suggested that the traditional automaker displays would not be held this year.

The next show will be held in June 2021. That would mean a gap of almost two-and-a-half years since the most recent show.

The annual auto show is the latest major event to be canceled or postponed as health experts and government officials scramble worldwide to contain the coronavirus outbreak.