Germany’s car show tries for more climate friendly image

Germany’s biggest motor show, taking place in Munich this week, is no longer just about cars. This year’s IAA show, the first major motor industry event worldwide since the COVID-19 pandemic, wants to be about mobility in general, from bikes to e-scooters to cars.

“Climate-friendly engines, the digital connectivity of transport – that’s what this fair is about,” Hildegard Müller, president of industry association VDA, which organises the bi-annual show, said at a pre-event press conference last week. “The goal of climate protection is guiding us.”

The show, which has shifted this year from Frankfurt to Munich and is themed “Mobility of the Future”, is a far cry from its usual format showcasing the biggest and mightiest cars on the market, Reuters reported.

The pandemic and growing concern over climate change have cast an uncomfortable shadow over the event, already under pressure from waning attendance numbers in previous years – from 930,000 in 2015 to just 560,000 in 2019.

Indeed, many industry stalwarts have decided against showing up: Toyota, Jaguar’s Land Rover, Stellantis – including its German brand Opel – and Ferrari, to name a few.