New York Auto Show Delayed Again, Now Scheduled For Next August

The game of auto show musical chairs continues. The New York Auto Show is once again delayed, with the new date now set for late August 2021. The show was originally slated for April of this year, then postponed to August and ultimately canceled for 2020. It was rescheduled for April 2021 and now it's pushed back again, with a public opening slated for August 20, 2021. The event opens to the press on August 19.

The global coronavirus pandemic is the reason behind the show's continual delays, though this latest decision isn't entirely driven by COVID-19. According to Automotive News, moving the event to August allows show organizers to use a newly expanded Jacob Javits Center with 100,000 square feet of additional space for exhibits. The Javits Center is located in New York City and has hosted the annual show since 1987.

The move is the latest in a global reshuffling of virtually every major auto show that began earlier this year due to the rapid spread of COVID-19. The Chicago Auto Show in February holds the distinction of being the last large-scale automotive show to be held before everything changed. The 2020 Geneva Motor Show was canceled just days prior to its March 5 launch and that led to a cavalcade of postponements. The Beijing Motor Show was the first post-COVID auto show to take place, running from September 26 to October 5 in China where the pandemic was largely brought under control.

Prior to the pandemic, there was already some uncertainty in the major auto show world. Many automakers were choosing to skip large events in lieu of holding independent new-vehicle debuts. The Detroit Auto Show was moved to June in hopes of capturing more automaker interest, but it's since been moved to the end of September where it will compete with the Frankfurt Motor Show. That is, it would have competed if the Frankfurt show hadn't been killed. The notable German show will instead be held at Munich in mid-September, a couple of weeks earlier than normal. The Detroit show is scheduled to open on September 28.

It's unclear if the New York Auto Show will remain an August event after 2021. If it does, it means the late summer / early fall timeslot will now see three major auto shows roughly one month apart.