- Was scheduled to happen in June this year
- TCF Centre is converted into a temporary field hospital by FEMA
For the past 31 years, Detroit Motor Show was the first major auto show of the calendar year. From 1989 to 2019, the Detroit Motor Show or North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), was held in January and for the first time was shifted to June this year. Now, amidst the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, officials have decided to cancel the Detroit Motor Show this year. The TCF centre where the show was held is now being used as a field hospital by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
The NAIAS is the latest entrant in the long list of automotive events that have been cancelled this year. All the purchased tickets for the auto show will be fully refunded, organisers said. Also, the Charity Preview ticket holders will be given the option of a refund, or donate their refund to one of the nine designated beneficiaries.
The next Detroit Motor Show is now scheduled for 11 June 2021. The organisers are considering to hold a fundraiser later this year to benefit the children’s charities that were designated as beneficiaries of the 2020 Charity Preview event. Meanwhile, more than 100 convention centres and facilities around the country are being considered to potentially serve as temporary hospitals.
The decision to move the show from January to June came in 2018 in hopes of attracting more visitors and introducing outdoor events as the month of June would have been warmer as compared to the freezing winter in January. There were also plans to host an ‘auto plaza’ around Woodward and Jefferson avenues, in addition to the indoor exhibition at TCF Centre.
