Manhattan, New York – The New York International Auto Show (NYIAS) will go ahead from August 20 – 29, with no limit on capacity according to an announcement by New York Government Andrew Cuomo alongside Mark Schienberg, NYIAS president.
This comes after the show closed its doors in 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The show, usually held in April, is thought to be the oldest auto show in the U.S dating back to 1900.
The show will be held at the Jacob K Javits Convention Centre, which acted as both a field hospital for COVID patients and a vaccine clinic from April 2020 to May 2021. Since the number of patients has dropped, the centre has been decommissioned as a temporary medical facility, and will return to hosting events.
New York was considered the epicenter of the pandemic at one point, but on May 19 of this year, adopted guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. These new guidelines allow for increased capacity, reduction in social distancing, and no need for fully-vaccinated people to wear masks.
Ticket sales are not being limited, though the show will adhere to COVID friendly policies. Social distancing will be required, they have adapted a touchless ticketing system, and the venue will be extensively cleaned throughout the week. A media day is also planned, where automakers present their new models to members of the press.
New this year, almost an entire floor will be dedicated to electric vehicles, including five indoor tracks for attendees to test drive new EV’s. The organizers said the NYIAS generates more than US$300 million to local and state economies.