DETROIT -- The Center for Automotive Research is moving its annual summer conference in Traverse City, Mich., to a virtual event in the wake of the deadly COVID-19 outbreak.

The Management Briefing Seminars, originally scheduled Aug. 4-6 at the Grand Traverse Resort and Spa, will now take place online on Aug. 4-5.

"While planning for the conference, we have been monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic very closely and following the decisions being made about national and international events," CAR CEO Carla Bailo said in a Monday press release. "We have decided to make CAR MBS 2020 a virtual event for the health and safety of everyone involved."

The event typically gathers hundreds of automotive executives, students and economic development officials from across the U.S. to lead keynotes and panels on trends in the industry and responses to current events.

CAR is currently restructuring the agenda and developing content, which will include conference sessions and virtual networking, it said in the release.

It's unclear how much the cost of the event, which ranges from $600 for a student up to $1,800 for a full three-day pass, will change for the shortened virtual event. CAR said it will relaunch registration on April 27.