Report: Beijing Auto Show Dumped Over COVID Restrictions

Matt Posky
by Matt Posky

The organizer of the Beijing International Automobile Exhibition has announced that the show will not go on due to the COVID-19 situation in the country. Though those with a memory longer than that of a goldfish will recall that the event was already postponed in April for that very same reason.  


While we’ve seen plenty of trade shows canceled over the last few years, it’s a little surprising to see China dumping one of the largest international venues it puts on annually – though the show technically alternates between Beijing and Shanghai each year. Having canceled so many times already, the original plan involved postponing the trade event until cases were down. But Beijing is reportedly seeing the highest infection rate it has seen in five months, which was apparently enough for organizers to scrap the rest of the year. 


That only equated to China’s capital city seeing 78 new infections on Wednesday. However, the local government has been directed to treat every bump in cases with the utmost seriousness and typically decides to exercise the maximum amount of caution. 


As other countries began witnessing lockdown protests, trucker rallies, and generalized civil unrest stemming from how government restrictions negatively impacted the economy, leadership was gradually pressured by the citizenry into backing down. However, the top-down governance style of China didn’t really allow for this. Local leaders were informed that any infections would be viewed as completely unacceptable, leading to sustained factory closures and the forcible isolation of citizens. Protests that emerged were put down early and often, with the consequences for dissent often being quite severe. 


While there were also plenty of holdouts in Western governments, the scope and severity of China’s response to the pandemic is truly massive and has managed to persist through 2022. Even China's top leadership body – the Politburo Standing Committee – recently called for the unwavering support of its stringent zero-COVID policy after last month's Communist Party congress. 


"We must take more resolute and decisive measures to curb the spread of the epidemic as soon as possible and restore normal production and living order as soon as possible," the Xinhua News Agency quoted Politburo leadership as stating during its meeting. "We must not relax the necessary epidemic prevention initiatives.”


Sadly, this means another year without an auto show. 


"Facing severe challenges for the country's epidemic prevention and control, [we] have decided not to hold the auto show in 2022," Auto China (the group organizing the event) said in a post on its official WeChat account. "The specific date for the exhibition will be announced separately when available.”


As of now, it’s unclear whether they’ll even bother trying to hold a show in Beijing with Auto Shanghai presumably happening in April of 2023. However, that event’s dates are currently listed as TDB.


[Image: humphery/Shutterstock.com]

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Matt Posky
Matt Posky

A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.

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4 of 9 comments
  • Redapple2 Redapple2 on Nov 10, 2022

    VoG OK. But tell me why 75% say the country is on the wrong track and Xiden has an approval rating of 38%? .............I have it. Ageism

    • See 1 previous
    • EBFlex EBFlex on Nov 12, 2022

      "How'd mid-terms turn out for the right?"

      After 2020, we are very aware there are very stupid people in this country that are allowed to vote. 81 million for sure.



  • EBFlex EBFlex on Nov 10, 2022

    Makes sense. Because masks work and because the "vaccines" work, we need to cancel the auto show because we are worried about people getting body aches and a fever for a few days.


    It's totally not about control though.

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