Car mechanics and dealerships were among the businesses forced to shut down on 26 December, but will be allowed to reopen on Monday 11 January. The Autofestival will thus play out according to schedule:
RTL Today article: Annual car festival will take place over two weeks in 2021 (15 Sep. 2020)The Federation of Automobile Distributors and Mobility (Fedamo) is thus lucky to escape the same fate as the Horesca sector, which has to remain shut until the end of the month. "In terms of restrictions, we have definitely not drawn the shortest straw", says Fedamo president Philippe Mersch.
Overall, the automobile industry had a challenging year, experiencing an 18.6% drop in revenue, Mersch further notes. "In other words, 11,000 fewer registrations than in 2019." Still, the Grand Duchy was not hit as severely as neighbouring country France, in which the sector suffered a 25% drop in sales.
Mersch underlines that businesses will take the task of organising a safe environment for both clients and employees seriously. Not only because the sector exits a lockdown, but also because public health guidelines need to be respected, he further explains. Fedamo has created a charter for that very purpose, which businesses can sign and outlines safety measures.
The Autofestival is the annual highlight event of the sector, from which both businesses and clients benefit. A central focus of this year's edition will be the offer of electrical vehicles.
However, meetings between car dealers and clients may have to be restricted to video calls, which could take away some of the interpersonal aspects of the event.
