The Paris Motor Show has become the latest major event to be cancelled as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, following in the footsteps of the Geneva, Detroit and New York Motor Shows.

The Paris Motor Show will be cancelled in its current format

The biennial event was due to be held from 1-11 October at the Porte de Versailles, and will be cancelled in its current format. However, some side events of the programme, including the Movin’On innovation summit and the Smartcity show, have not been affected yet.

Other options including examining all alternative solutions with the main partners are being explored, with the organisers adding: “The deep reinvention of the event that we had already initiated, particularly with the Festival dimension around sustainable mobility as well as an important B2B section, could offer this opportunity.”

The announcement shows the need for motor shows to innovate in line with changing trends in car usership and a move to mobility. Earlier this month, the organisers announced that the Frankfurt Motor Show – which alternates with Paris – will move to Munich from 2021 and will expand to include smart city technology with real-world demonstrations around the city, as it looks to reinvent itself.

The Paris Motor Show organisers added: “Nothing will ever be the same, but from this crisis we must learn to become agile, creative and more innovative than ever. We will keep you informed, as we go along, of the decisions we will make. As for now, our thoughts go to those directly affected by the pandemic, our health-care personnel as well as our clients who have to face, with solid determination, the economic impact of this crisis on their companies.”