The IAA auto show, which is suffering from a decline in visitors and exhibitors in Frankfurt, is attempting a new start in Munich – as a kind of public festival on the streets. But prominent automakers will be missing.
Without Opel, Toyota and other prominent brands, the former Frankfurt auto show IAA wants to try a new start as a citizen-friendly street festival in Munich.
From September 7th to 12th, everything in the Bavarian capital will no longer revolve around the car, the topic is now traffic as a whole. According to the Munich trade fair, 50 bicycle manufacturers are also represented at the new “IAA Mobility”. “We are convinced that with the IAA we will show the world of mobility of tomorrow”, said Jürgen Mindel, the managing director of the automobile association VDA, who is now organizing the event together with the exhibition company.
The new IAA is the first major international event in Germany since the beginning of the corona pandemic. The Munich Oktoberfest, which traditionally takes place in the second half of September, has been canceled for the second time. In the city center, the IAA should have a “happening, festival character”, as trade fair manager Tobias Gröber said. But there are sophisticated hygiene and safety concepts for all areas of the IAA.
At the last edition of the IAA in Frankfurt 2019, there were protests by environmentalists and a six-figure decrease in the number of visitors. The VDA then put out new tenders for the fair nationwide. The Munich trade fair, which was used to success until the start of the corona pandemic, made the race. However, environmentalists have again announced protests under the catchphrase “NoIAA”, accusing the automotive industry of “greenwashing”.
The IAA is to open as before in Frankfurt, Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU). At the new IAA, however, some of the action will be relocated to the magnificent squares in downtown Munich, including the concert stage. Among other things, the “Royal Bavarian Full Throttle Orchestra” will play.
“For the first time, visitors to the IAA can also test a large number of new cars,” said Mindel. The manufacturers have planned more than 230 vehicles for them. Another attraction is to be, among other things, the “largest public fast-charging park in Germany” for electric cars, as Mindel said.
According to Minde, over 500 manufacturers from almost 30 countries will be represented. These include Audi, BMW, Daimler, Ford, VW, Porsche, Renault and the Korean Hyundai group, but also tech companies such as IBM and the Chinese company Huawei. The IAA is open to all mobility actors, said Mindel. “Cars, bicycles, scooters, scooters, but also vintage cars, and of course we will have a lot of fun and shows.”
But some of the most prominent names in the auto industry will not be there: According to a company spokeswoman, Toyota will not take part. The new Stellantis group, in which Peugeot / PSA and FiatChrysler have merged, is also missing, according to the company, with all brands, including the German subsidiary Opel. The US company General Motors also did not include the IAA on its website on the list of trade fairs in which the company takes part, and initially there was no answer to the question.
Neither the VDA nor the Munich trade fair gave specific answers to questions about how many visitors they expect and which prominent companies will not take part. However, the organizers hope to be able to convince more exhibitors of the IAA again for the next edition in 2023. In 2019, 560,000 visitors found their way to the IAA in Frankfurt; in 2017 there were over 800,000.
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
