COVID-19 issues cancel the San Diego Auto Show for the second straight year - The San Diego Union-Tribune

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For the second straight year, the organizers of the San Diego International Auto Show have pulled the plug on the event, citing concerns related to the pandemic and other factors.

“Given current conditions it would not be possible to produce an event of the caliber that show-goers have come to expect and deserve,” the show’s promoters said in a news release. A spokesperson for the auto show, produced by the New Car Dealers Association of San Diego County each year, said no officials were available for interviews Monday.

A longtime holiday staple that brings out families, car enthusiasts and prospective buyers to the San Diego Convention Center, the auto show had been scheduled for Dec. 30 through Jan. 2.

After having to cancel last year’s event for the first time in the show’s history, auto show officials originally planned to bring the event back strong. Shortly after Gov. Gavin Newsom lifted many restrictions on June 15, the show’s promoters sent out a news release saying the show “hits the accelerator in preparation” for a winter return.

But the Delta variant led to an uptick in cases and California tightened requirements and recommendations for “mega-events” — indoor events drawing 1,000 or more people and outdoor events for crowds of 10,000 or more.

Under the current rules, an indoor event like the auto show calls for proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours. That, auto show officials said, also pertains to children 12 and under and may have resulted in the auto show providing on-site testing.

There’s also uncertainty about the onset of winter bringing another surge in cases of COVID-19 or its variants.

In addition, the auto industry for months has been battling a global computer chip shortage and supply chain slowdowns that have reduced the number of vehicles on car dealers’ lots. Cramped inventories have also affected the amount of advertising and promotional dollars manufacturers want to spend on things like auto shows.

After “careful consideration” of all the factors, show officials concluded canceling the show a second time was the “responsible decision” to make. The group said it has shifted its focus on planning for next year.

“We’re disappointed we won’t host the auto show this year but we do of course understand the decision they had to make,” said Maren Dougherty, executive director of marketing and communications for the San Diego Convention Center Corp.

Dougherty said the cancellation does not indicate other business sectors are shying away from hosting conventions and other large-scale gatherings.

“We’ve successfully hosted more than a dozen events since we’ve reopened in August,” Dougherty said. “We’ve had major medical meetings and this past week, we had the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Health and Fitness Expo (and) we have another dozen events on our calendar through year-end.”

Auto show officials do not release attendance figures but a spokesperson said the event draws thousands of attendees, who look over the latest models scattered over more than 500,000 square feet of the convention center. At the 2019-2020 show, more than 400 vehicles from 25 carmakers were on display and the event was billed as the 10th-largest auto show in the country.

While the San Diego show may go dark, the Los Angeles Auto Show will return this year. One of the world’s largest, the LA Auto Show will be held Nov. 19-28 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

“It’s full-steam ahead,” said Kat Kirsch, spokesperson for the LA Auto Show. “We have all of our safety protocols in place ... All of the LA County health and safety recommendations, we can easily implement and that’s what we plan to do.”

Since it debuted in 1907, the LA Auto Show has been canceled just three times — World War I, World War II and COVID-19.

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