The organizers of the Geneva auto show said they would not organize the event next year due to "industry-wide issues relating to the COVID-19 pandemic".
The organizers said in a statement that direct and indirect issues linked to the pandemic left them "with no alternative." They included both persisting travel restrictions for exhibitors, visitors, and journalists, as well as an ongoing global semiconductor crisis, which is leaving automakers with new priorities, they said.
"We see this decision as a postponement, rather than a cancellation. I am confident that the Geneva International Motor Show will come back stronger than ever in 2023," Maurice Turrettini, the president of Comité permanent du Salon international de l'automobile, said in a statement on Thursday.
Many exhibitors had indicated that the uncertainties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic make it impossible for them to make a firm commitment for the 2022 show, Sandro Mesquita, CEO of the Geneva International Motor Show company, said in the statement.
In addition, the negative impact of the chips crisis is likely to drag on into next year. This means that "many brands are unable to make a commitment to participate in a trade fair that would have taken place in just over four months," Mesquita said.
The show was due to take place in February next year. The 2020 and 2021 editions were also canceled following the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
EDITOR'S NOTE: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the previous years that the Geneva show was cancelled because of the pandemic.
