Plans for three motor shows over 12 weeks in the USA

The Los Angeles International auto show scheduled for November will be postponed by six months because of Covid-19, meaning a busy three months of motor events.

The L.A. event, which had been scheduled to run November 20-29, will now take place May 21-31, 2021, according to Automotive News.

This means the LA event would sit between the New York motor show in April and Detroit’s June auto show, meaning car manufacturers will have to pick which shows to attend due to the high costs of attending the events.

Detroit’s international auto show used to be held in January from 1989 to 2019, but due to Covid it was cancelled and now will be held in June from 2021 onwards. Detroit was the first international motor show each, followed by Geneva but it still hasn’t been confirmed if the Swiss event will take place next year, or has been permanently axed.

Motor shows in Europe have seen a decline in the auto industry presence in recent years, with the usually packed Frankfurt motor show, with 10 exhibition halls, missing major attendance last year.

Public days for the next New York show are set for April 2-11, while the Detroit show is planned for June 19-26. Both shows were cancelled this year because of the pandemic.

The biggest auto shows had been struggling before the onset of COVID-19 as automakers sought to rein in expenses while increasing their products' time in the media spotlight, said Automotive News.

Since the Covid-19 outbreak, car companies are holding virtual launch events, such as Rolls-Royce with the Ghost reveal today, and Mercedes-Benz tomorrow with the S-Class.