Detroit Auto Show 2021 cancelled, replaced by a 6-day outdoor exhibition

The Detroit Auto Show has been cancelled this year and is set to be replaced by an outdoor show called Motor Bella. The new event is scheduled to take place between September 21 and 26 at the M1 Concourse in nearby Pontiac, Michigan. It has a 1.5-mile race track and room for 1.6 million square feet of vehicle and technology display space.

Traditionally the auto show takes place indoors at Detroit's downtown convention centre but worries related to coronavirus pandemic has led to cancellation. The show organisers have still reserved the centre for the fall of 2022 and 2023, spokesman for the North American International Auto Show Brent Snavely was quoted as saying by AP. "Will NAIAS return in 2022? We're hopeful, optimistic. That’s what we would want. It's hard to predict the future," he added.

The Motor Bella will have track activities, mobility exhibits and technology displays from automakers, he said. The show's Executive Director Rod Alperts said in a press statement that they had to look for new and creative ways of doing business. "While auto shows remain an important platform to promote new mobility innovations and help people make major vehicle purchase decisions, the traditional auto show model is changing," he added.

He further said that attendees can expect a multi-sensory experience at the new event "which will offer the sights, sounds and even the smell of all that the new world of mobility has to offer."

The Motor Bella was originally conceived as a celebration of Italian and British supercars and classic vehicles and was originally supposed to make a debut in June at the 2020 auto show.

The pandemic has changed quite a lot in the automotive world. Carmakers can now unveil new vehicles online online and also complete end-to-end sales process digitally. This has only made it difficult for auto shows to retain their relevance and made them look for new ways to stay pertinent.