U.S. car enthusiasts continue to endure auto show withdrawals, but the show goes on at the Beijing International Automotive Exhibition

It looks like one of the benefits of a more effective national approach to infectious disease control is that you can get back to having large automotive exhibitions sooner, if the Beijing International Automotive Exhibition is any indication.

While we in the U.S. continue to suffer car show withdrawal symptoms and endure the continued cancellations of major events like SEMA, in China the show went on, albeit much later than originally planned.

Originally scheduled for April and postponed for months due to COVID-19, the Beijing International Auto Show—also known as Auto China 2020—opened last Monday (September 26, 2020) and closes tomorrow.

Health precautions, including face masks, were required of exhibitors and attendees, according to the Bangkok post, which also noted that most industry executives made their appearances virtually.

According to the New York Times, which describes the event as “The first major auto show since the pandemic hit,” the event has drawn “big crowds.” Show organizers have not yet published official attendance figures for the 2020 event, but attendance has been enormous in years past.

In 2018, for example, the Beijing International Automotive Exhibition drew 820,000 visitors, according to a tradeshow database on the German MeetExpo website. All but 50,000 of those attendees were from within China, and the tradeshow featured exhibitions from 1,200 organizations.

Among the noteworthy automotive launches at the Beijing International Automotive Exhibition 2020 were the world premier of the new BMW M3 Competition Sedan and the new BMW M4 Competition Coupé, two high-performance sports models in the premium mid-range segment. Both models offer what the automaker calls “the hallmark M combination of racetrack-oriented performance and superior suitability for everyday use.

Meanwhile, Porsche describes their approach to the event as a hybrid “real and virtual” presence, which they used to premier the latest incarnation of the Panamera.

“With the virtual exhibition stand, we have created a novel way of experiencing the brand by using a mobile device—whether you are in Beijing or thousands of kilometers away,” said Ragnar Schulte, Director Experiential Marketing at Porsche.

It’s good to know that big automotive events are making a comeback somewhere in the world, at least. But how soon they’ll be back in the U.S. remains uncertain. SEMA will of course be all virtual next month. The LA Auto Show has been cancelled for 2020 and rescheduled for May 21–31, 2021, at the Los Angeles Convention Center.  The next New York International Auto Show is scheduled for April 2–11 at the Jacob Javits Convention  Center.

Let’s hope the U.S. by spring will have enough control over COVID-19 for those events to proceed without fear of their becoming super-spreader events.

In Detroit, the North American International Auto Show’s 2020 edition originally scheduled for June was cancelled, and the next event is set for September 21–October 9, 2021.

From where we stand now, the fall of 2021 does seem more viable, with experts such as Dr. Anthony Fauci pointing toward the middle or end of next year as a timeframe when we might be able to expect to return to something closer to our way of life before COVID-19.

Keep hope alive, but, meanwhile, more and more of us are learning to appreciate the many other ways to indulge our automotive interests without congregating in large crowds.