The Tokyo Motor Show has showcased the latest and greatest innovations in the automotive and power sports industries since 1954. The show takes place every two years and since being held at the Tokyo Big Sight exhibition center in 2019, this year’s event was scheduled to take place in October 2021. Due to the circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 Tokyo Motor Show has been canceled according to the Japanese Car Manufacturers (JMA).
The Japanese government has plans to declare its third state of emergency in the regions of Tokyo and Osaka. The 2019 Motor Show drew approximately 1.3 million people and hosting the event this year could put visitors at risk for infection. Akyo Toyoda, Head of the JMA was quick to cancel the 2021 Tokyo Motor Show via a virtual press conference.
Toyoda stated “We have concluded that it will be difficult to offer our main programs where many visitors get to experience attractive features of mobility in a safe environment,”
“The Tokyo auto show showcases motorbikes, minicars, large vehicles, passenger cars, as well as mobility vehicles of other industries. As such, we would like to prioritize having visitors experience these vehicles in the real world, and we would rather hold the event in the real world, not virtually. So, we have decided to cancel the event.”
The cancellation of the 2021 event comes as no surprise as we move into the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Though the news is unfortunate for everyone involved in addition to anyone who awaited the event, Toyoda has plans for the future.
“The next time, we would like to hold an improved event to be called Tokyo Mobility Show,” added Toyoda. “We would like to ask for your continued support.”
Information on the Tokyo Mobility Show hasn’t been released yet, but we look forward to bringing the info forward once it’s available.