IAA: protests, optimism at VW and AI for cars

Activists from the radical environmental protection organization “Extinction Rebellion” triggered traffic jams at the IAA International Motor Show on Monday with a rappelling action over the Mittlerer Ring in Munich: In the morning, two people rapped in front of a bridge that leads directly next to the BMW headquarters over the central traffic artery away. The ring was temporarily blocked, the police let the demonstrators do their thing.

On a poster, the activists called for “Climate protection instead of the IAA – money for public transport, not for motorways”. Greenpeace members have also protested and sunk body parts in a body of water in front of the main entrance. The fair, which is taking place in Munich for the second time this year, is controversial: it also triggered numerous protests in 2021.

The IAA opens today and runs until the weekend. There were already numerous presentations on yesterday’s press day. Several Chinese manufacturers also showed electric cars with which they want to compete with German car manufacturers. Experts expect that BYD, Xpeng and Dongfeng could soon become serious competitors of BMW, Mercedes and VW.

“Fear is the wrong guide”

While German manufacturers are being held back by rising costs, the Chinese are benefiting from low production costs and their own battery production. VW CEO Oliver Blume sees himself armed: “Fear is the wrong advice, because then I start to flutter and have no chance of winning from the start.” Volkswagen reflects on its strengths and will confidently counteract them – “but also with one clear, realistic analysis,” said the CEO.

One point of criticism is that e-cars are too expensive in Europe: Blume promised yesterday to bring e-cars to the market at entry-level prices of less than 25,000 euros by 2025. Range and efficiency should increase by ten percent. Models from VW, Skoda and Cupra should be able to charge their batteries in less than 20 minutes.

The German supplier Continental showed a technology developed by Google to retrieve information while driving using artificial intelligence (AI). Questions about sights can be asked or destinations can be entered into the navigation system by voice command.