Detroit’s North American International Auto Show cancelled

Cleveland, Ohio – Detroit’s annual auto show has been cancelled as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) plans to convert the TCF Center (formerly Cobo Hall) into a field hospital to treat COVID-19 patients.

The rapidly spreading novel coronavirus could create overflow conditions at hospitals in several cities, so federal officials are preparing emergency treatment centers in several cities. Detroit’s North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) had been set for June, the first summer edition of the show that had traditionally been held in January.

New York’s Javits Center, which had been scheduled to host the New York Auto Show from April 10 to April 19, is also being converted into hospital space. Officials had already delayed that show until September.

Chicago’s McCormick Place convention center hosted that city’s auto show in February, and it will also become a field hospital.

About the author: Robert Schoenberger is the editor of Today's Motor Vehicles and Today's eMobility and a contributor to Today's Medical Developments and Aerospace Manufacturing and Design. He has written about the automotive industry for more than 20 years at The Plain Dealer in Cleveland, Ohio; The Courier-Journal in Louisville, Kentucky; and The Clarion-Ledger in Jackson, Mississippi.

rschoenberger@gie.net