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Climate protests at the last IAA 2019 in Frankfurt am Main
Photo: SASCHA STEINBACH / EPA-EFE / REX
New city, new concept: after years of decline at its traditional location in Frankfurt am Main, the International Motor Show in Munich is called "IAA Mobility".
The Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) wants to stop the decline in visitors with future topics relating to all aspects of mobility.
Fewer cars and more alternatives are therefore on the agenda.
There are 50 bicycle manufacturers alone.
The new focal points of climate protection, digitization and micromobility are also intended to appeal to an audience that is not interested in SUVs and horsepower figures.
“What will move us next” is the new advertising slogan of the IAA - it doesn't always have to be the car.
But does all of this show a real change of heart or is it a sham?
Most environmental and climate protection organizations do not buy the demonstrative change from Saul to Paulus from industry.
"Shortly before the federal election, the car lobby wants to give itself a green paint job at the IAA," criticizes an alliance made up of BUND, Greenpeace, German environmental aid, Germany's friends of nature and the eco-traffic clubs ADFC and VCD.
»BMW, Volkswagen, Daimler and Co. still make their living with cars that are far too big and that stifle life in the cities. Instead of alibi presentations, the car companies have to switch their production to smaller, climate-friendly vehicles. The next federal government must accelerate this transition with a transport policy that relies on cycling, walking and public transport. This also includes halving car traffic, ”says the alliance. For September 11th, the organizations are planning 17 demonstration trains and a bicycle rally with tens of thousands of participants.
Even more emphatically than the environmental associations, the action alliance "Sand im Gears" could announce its protest in Munich.
The climate protection activists announced a "great action of civil disobedience".
"In September we face the destructive auto madness in the way," said a spokeswoman.
In Frankfurt, the activists blocked parts of the exhibition grounds in 2019, which at the time attracted more attention than the new cars and clouded the mood among exhibitors and visitors.
Merkel speaks at the opening - if Delta doesn't get in the way
Despite the spread of the highly contagious delta variant of the corona virus, the organizers firmly assume that Chancellor Angela Merkel will open the first major international event in Germany since the beginning of the pandemic in just under four weeks. The Munich Oktoberfest, on the other hand, was canceled. The fair and the new conferences were planned under pandemic conditions, "regardless of incidence values," according to the fair company. Only those who have been vaccinated, recovered or tested are allowed to come.
Mask requirements and hygiene regulations also apply to test drives with electric, hydrogen and automated cars between the exhibition center and the city center. Decentralized events at various locations in the city and on the exhibition grounds should make the queues as short as possible in order to reduce the risk of infection. In addition, there are live broadcasts of the discussion events on the Internet, so that participants do not even have to travel to Munich. Under no circumstances do you want a "fair atmosphere," assert the organizers.
On the one hand, the rejuvenation of what was once the world's largest automobile fair is intended to show the transformation that the industry is in.
On the other hand, it is due to the fact that the previous trade fair in Frankfurt two years ago was a flop and many manufacturers canceled it for Munich as well.
With Opel, even a German car manufacturer is staying away from the event, parent company Stellantis wants to save costs.
This alone means that more than a dozen well-known brands are missing: from Alfa Romeo to Citroën, Chrysler and Fiat to Peugeot.
Toyota, Tesla and General Motors are also looking at the new concept from a distance.
Self-driving electric shuttles and air taxis
"Our goal is to motivate those exhibitors who will not be there in 2021 to come back in 2023," said VDA Managing Director Jürgen Mindel.
Volkswagen, BMW and Mercedes - indirectly co-organizers through their association - are not entirely alone.
Ford, Renault and Hyundai, including their subsidiary Kia, have announced themselves as well as the expanding brands Xpeng Motors and Great Wall from China.
Around 100 new automobiles, especially electric ones, can be seen in Munich.
In addition, there is almost everything with which people can get from A to B: scooters, pedelecs, electric scooters, self-driving shuttles and air taxis.
In addition to individual transport, local transport should also play a greater role.
Autonomous electric minibuses drive visitors across the site.
fww / dpa / rtr
