Officials with the North American International Auto Show announced today that the event has been canceled for 2021. Last rescheduled for Sept. 23-Oct. 9 of this year, the show will now be replaced by a six-day outdoor event called Motor Bella.
Motor Bella, to be held at the 87-acre M1 Concourse in Pontiac, will take place from Sept. 21-26. Run by Detroit Auto Dealers Association — the organizer of the NAIAS — the event will feature 1.6 million square feet of vehicle and technology display space. A 1.5-mile track is also available for demonstrations.
And like the auto show, the event will include a press preview, industry preview, public show, and a charity initiative that will benefit children and families in need.
“The pandemic has caused changes in our society and world in ways not previously imagined, and we all should be looking for new and highly creative ways of doing business,” says Rod Alberts, executive director of the Detroit Auto Dealers Association, in a press release. “This new event captures that creative spirit. It will provide new mobility experiences and increasingly innovative approaches to tapping into the industry and its products.”
The last time the NAIAS took place was in January 2019. After moving from its usual winter schedule to a new summer schedule, the 2020 show planned to debut in June of last year. However, that show was canceled in March to avoid large gatherings during the pandemic, and TCF Center, the venue for the event, was converted into a field hospital for several months.
The Motor Bella concept was originally set to debut at the June 2020 auto show as a smaller-scale street fair. The event would have focused on Italian and British supercars and classic vehicles. “With our new program for 2021, we will take the Motor Bella concept to the next level with multiple brands and mobilities represented, from hometown to international nameplates, autonomous vehicles to high-performance supercars and everything in between,” says Doug North, event chairman, in a release.
“We see this outdoor experience at M1 as a bridge to the future,” North adds. “One that will continue to evolve as we explore new ways of presenting mobility and as we navigate through these unprecedented times.”
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