There was not much of a party mood in the car industry at this year's International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt. Change was the dominant theme. In keeping with this, the industry is considering what the fair might look like in the future and whether it should not take place elsewhere with a realignment.
The IAA contract with the former trade fair location Frankfurt has expired. The German manufacturers and their association VDA think about a departure of the fair.
The bosses of the automakers Ford, Toyota and e.Go - all based in North Rhine-Westphalia - have been in favor of Cologne as a new location for the IAA Motor Show, reports the "Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger". "With the games fair Gamescom Cologne has already proven that you can handle such formats," said Gunnar Herrmann, head of Ford Germany.
Also Toyota Germany boss Alain Uyttenhoven praised Cologne. The city "would definitely be a very good location for the show, with not only Ford and Toyota located here, but also numerous major and important suppliers," he said.
Günther Schuh, developer of the electric city car e.Go, pointed out clear locational advantages for Cologne. An industrial environment is important for the fair, he said. This exists in Cologne with a large number of well-known companies not only in the automotive sector. The downtown location of the Cologne Exhibition Center is a strong plus point.
In addition to Cologne, Berlin will also be given good opportunities to receive the site surcharge as part of a realignment of the industry show. A new trade fair concept with changing venues is also being discussed. The VDA is aiming for a location decision by the end of this year.
Turning point in the car industry
The IAA this year was marked not only by manufacturers' new ideas, but also by protests from climate activists. At the same time, the number of exhibitors dropped from just under a thousand in 2017 to just over 800 this year.
The number of visitors to the Frankfurt Motor Show IAA also declined. According to the Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) came this year a good 560,000 visitors. At the last edition of the automobile exhibition two years ago, there were still 810,000 visitors, the IAA Cars 2015 had lured even 932,000 people in the Frankfurt exhibition halls.
