Detroit Auto Show Canceled: Venue to Become Field Hospital for Coronavirus

• In a season when the New York auto show was postponed and the Geneva auto show was canceled, it’s not that surprising that the Detroit auto show, scheduled for June 6–20, is now off because of coronavirus.
• In this case, it’s because the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) has chosen the show venue as a field hospital for the next six months for emergency patients.
• The next Detroit show will be in June 2021, show organizers said.

The Detroit Free Press reported this evening that the 2020 North American International Auto Show in Detroit has been canceled altogether for this year. The reason is because FEMA has selected the TCF Center, formerly known as Cobo, as an emergency field hospital for the city of Detroit.

The paper reported that all plans related to the show, with public dates from June 6 to 20, will all be moved forward a year. Among the events planned were an outdoor street fair and the annual black-tie charity preview.

Statewide data shows that the city of Detroit is by far the worst-hit area in Michigan for COVID-19 cases, with 1377 cases and 30 deaths reported as of March 28.