The biennial Intermot and annual EICMA motorcycle shows in October and November appear to be in jeopardy with BMW Motorrad the first to declare they will not attend.

The shows in Cologne and Milan are the biggest in the world and are the showcase for manufacturers around the world to debut their new models.

Despite being more than seven months away, BMW Motorrad has issued a statement saying they won’t attend.

It follows their recent decision to halt manufacturing at its Spandau factory in Berlin and their G 310 production in India for two weeks. They are expected to return to production next week.

BMW Motorrad factory in Spandau, Berlin

BMW’s decision not to attend the motorcycle shows several months from now is significant as BMW uses these major shows to launch all their next-year models.

Their withdrawal could be the first of many companies to do the same.

Here is the official statement:

Due to the hardly foreseeable development of the corona pandemic and its effects, BMW Motorrad will not be participating in the two leading motorcycle shows Intermot in Cologne in October and EICMA in Milan in November in 2020.

This decision was made in order to counteract current planning uncertainty at an early stage, also for all our partners involved in BMW Motorrad motorshow appearances, in the interests of the greatest possible security, predictability and transparency.

BMW Motorrad will present the world premieres and product highlights planned for these motorcycle shows on alternative platforms in autumn 2020. In doing so, the company will increasingly rely on its own formats and digital communication channels.

The move comes just a day before BMW Motorrad was expected to do a “virtual launch” for their much-vaunted R 18 cruiser and tourer tomorrow (3 April 2020).

However, they now tell us it has been postponed and to “stay tuned”.

We have published several photos of the various models configurations as shown below and will update you with the production model when it is released.

Virtual shows

It follows recent motorcycle show closures in Japan, forcing companies such as Suzuki and Honda to stage “virtual” exhibits and launches.

Yet, the organisers of the world’s biggest motorcycle rally in the world at Sturgis are still confident it will go ahead as planned in August.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com