The annual Brussels auto show will be held next in January 2022, the exhibition’s management said, skipping 2021 amid the uncertainty of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Brussels show is best known as a retail showplace, with many Belgian buyers placing orders during the January event. But in recent years it has seen some significant model launches, including the first public display this year of Renault’s new E-Tech hybrid and plug-in hybrid models, the new Nissan Juke and the Mazda MX-30 EV.
Organizers said they had tried to come up with a plan to hold the show in a physical form in 2021, but concluded this that it would be impossible, given "the uncertainties around the development of the COVID pandemic."
"We do not want in any way to undermine the safety measures and contact restrictions that the government expects from every citizen and every organization," Pierre Lalmand, the show's director, said in a news release this week.
The 2022 show, the 99th edition, will be held Jan. 14-23.
This year's Brussels show was the last major exhibition in Europe to be held before the COVID-19 pandemic canceled all automotive events, including the Geneva and Paris auto shows and the commercial vehicles show in Hanover, Germany.
Shows such as Paris and Frankfurt have struggled for years to attract major vehicle manufacturers, which cite cost and the inability to control their messaging as reasons not to attend. But because of the sales-oriented nature of the Brussels show, every mainstream manufacturer and most niche or exotic brands have stands, even if they are sponsored by the local dealers’ group.
The Brussels show attracted about a half-million visitors this year. Reportedly, up to one-third of all vehicles sold in Belgium each year are either sold or ordered at the show, and dealers compete to offer the best show discounts to visitors.
