A spokeswoman for Palexpo declined to comment.

Switzerland on Friday banned large events expected to draw more than 1,000 people as an extraordinary measure to curb the new coronavirus epidemic.

The car show was set to begin next week but had already seen some high profile executives cancel their attendance.

Restrictions on travel and fears of the spread of the coronavirus have caused other fairs including the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Frankfurt's Light + Building fair and the Beijing Auto Show to be postponed or cancelled.

(Reporting by Joern Poltz in Munich and Gilles Guillaume in Paris; Editing by Edward Taylor and Michelle Martin)