--- title: "See What the Abandoned Geneva Motor Show Looks Like Thanks to Coronavirus" description: "Behold millions of marketing dollars lit up in flames." date: "2020-03-02" modified: "2020-03-02" authors: - name: "Chris Tsui" job_title: "Contributor" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/chris-tsui" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/32414/see-what-the-abandoned-geneva-motor-show-looks-like-thanks-to-coronavirus" categories: - "News" --- # See What the Abandoned Geneva Motor Show Looks Like Thanks to Coronavirus ![]() *\www.thedrive.com\* Originally scheduled to kick off right about now, Switzerland's 2020 Geneva International Motor Show was unceremoniously [canceled late last week]() after the Swiss government officially banned all events larger than 1,000 people in response to the coronavirus outbreak. For casual followers of the auto industry, [Geneva]() is one of its biggest trade shows and one that usually attracts lots of exotic and expensive hardware. Thanks to [GFWilliams]() on YouTube and a handful of shots via Getty photographers, we get a look at what the Geneva Motor Show looks like right now and, not-so-surprisingly, it's a sad sight. Instead of a sea of shiny new vehicles slowly spinning around giant turntables surrounded by gawking journalists, Palexpo now feels like the convention center equivalent of a ghost town, littered with half-finished motor show stands and unopened boxes and crates. https://youtube.com/embed/of0Nkxdax9E Seeing the U.S.-built Czinger C21 supercar get unveiled in front of a dismantled backdrop for an audience of nobody, in particular, is an eerie and weird sight. Also, at around the 9:45 time mark, a camouflaged Mercedes sedan we're fairly sure is [the new E-Class spied back in January]() can be spotted. Other than that and several classics sitting at the Tissot stand, it's mostly the messy vestiges of millions of auto marketing dollars flushed down the drain. ![message-editor%2F1583164487717-gettyimages-1203962480.jpg]() *Getty Images* ![message-editor%2F1583164601897-gettyimages-1203962505.jpg]() *Getty Images* ![message-editor%2F1583164608571-gettyimages-1203952778.jpg]() *Getty Images* ![message-editor%2F1583164617416-gettyimages-1203952774.jpg]() *Getty Images* ![message-editor%2F1583164625827-gettyimages-1203952719.jpg]() *Getty Images* ![message-editor%2F1583164633766-gettyimages-1203952711.jpg]() *Getty Images* ![message-editor%2F1583164642629-gettyimages-1203952632.jpg]() *Getty Images* ![message-editor%2F1583164650235-gettyimages-1203952579.jpg]() *Getty Images* ![message-editor%2F1583164657331-gettyimages-1203952569.jpg]() *Getty Images* ![message-editor%2F1583164663578-gettyimages-1203952566.jpg]() *Getty Images* ![message-editor%2F1583164676868-gettyimages-1203952549.jpg]() *Getty Images* ![message-editor%2F1583164684030-gettyimages-1203952546.jpg]() *Getty Images* ![message-editor%2F1583164691252-gettyimages-12039525321.jpg]() *Getty Images* ![message-editor%2F1583164698337-gettyimages-1203952528.jpg]() *Getty Images* ![message-editor%2F1583164705435-gettyimages-1203952331.jpg]() *Getty Images* ![message-editor%2F1583164713621-gettyimages-1203952318.jpg]() *Getty Images* ![message-editor%2F1583164720816-gettyimages-1203952299.jpg]() *Getty Images* ![message-editor%2F1583164727036-gettyimages-1203952099.jpg]() *Getty Images* ![message-editor%2F1583164733456-gettyimages-1203952010.jpg]() *Getty Images* ![message-editor%2F1583164739401-gettyimages-1203952006.jpg]() *Getty Images* ![message-editor%2F1583164744316-gettyimages-1203951991.jpg]() *Getty Images* ![message-editor%2F1583164749562-gettyimages-1203946497.jpg]() *Getty Images* ![message-editor%2F1583164753972-gettyimages-1203946449.jpg]() *Getty Images* ![message-editor%2F1583164758158-gettyimages-1203946417.jpg]() *Getty Images* ![message-editor%2F1583164762937-gettyimages-1203946153.jpg]() *Getty Images* ![message-editor%2F1583164767434-gettyimages-1203946438.jpg]() *Getty Images* ![message-editor%2F1583164771604-gettyimages-1203910200.jpg]() *Getty Images* ![message-editor%2F1583164775959-gettyimages-1203910183.jpg]() *Getty Images* If you're wondering why Geneva Motor Show organizers waited until the last minute to pull the plug, it reportedly had to do with liability and refunds. As *Automotive News* U.K. correspondent Nick Gibbs points out on Twitter, waiting until a government mandate to cancel the event removed any case automakers could've made for financial reimbursement from the event itself. https://twitter.com/\_/status/1233323409519579136 https://twitter.com/\_/status/1233343074123866112 https://twitter.com/\_/status/1233374232744255488 As of Monday, there have been 24 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Switzerland according to [*The Local*](). The government's 1,000-person event ban will last until at least March 15. *Got a tip? Send us a note: tips@thedrive.com* ## Author Chris Tsui is *The Drive*'s former Reviews Editor and current freelance automotive journalist. He's based in Toronto. ### Author social links [Instagram]()