One of two throwbacks from IAA 2019 that made an appearance this year was the non-participation of certain brands, chief among which were those from the Stellantis Group, which owns Alfa Romeo, Citroen and Chrysler. This being the first fair since the start of the pandemic, there were multiple safety protocols in place too - daily visitors were capped at 80,000 and attendees had to show proof of vaccination, recovery or a recent negative result to enter. Second, the show was now less about cars and more about mobility in general, expanding its reach to include electric vehicles, scooters and even bicycles. This resulted in a number of key changes, starting with its location - it is hardly debatable that Munich is a far more picturesque city than Frankfurt, and also allows for a clean start for the fair as it repositions itself. That said, the last IAA was not a very good one, owing to poor visitor numbers, environmental protests and no-shows by some major exhibitors. There had not been an auto show in Europe since 2019, so one can only imagine the heightened excitement of everyone present.
There were opportunities for visitors to test drive a selection of Mercedes-Benz cars at the Blue Lane, and those who did not care for it could enjoy demonstrations of automated driving technology as well as other technological advancements in the industry. Themed areas with diverse opportunities for dialogue showcased Mercedes-Benz’s holistic approach to driving digitalisation forward, with the marque’s new releases commanding pride of place - out of the 10, seven were all-electric.
Over at the exhibition hall, things were a bit more serious. Access to Open Space was free, and the artwork will grace Odeonplatz until the beginning of October.Ī night view of the immersive Earthtime 1.26 Munich installation, part of Mercedes-Benz’s Open Space display, in central Munich The sculpture is made of recyclable high-tech fibres woven like a fishing net, whose colour and shape are continually transformed by changes in the wind, rain and light. At the Open Space experience, at the centrally located and beautiful Odeonplatz square, the focus was on the marque’s sustainable business strategy and went beyond purely automotive topics, combining the presentation of all current and future electric vehicles with an exhibition on sustainability topics, a work of art and a musical stage in the evening.Ĭentral to the Open Space is Earthtime 1.26 Munich, a sculpture by American artist Janet Echelman - a 24m x 21m work of art that symbolises the dynamics of our ecosystem. Focusing on creating an encounter rather than purely presenting vehicles, the star of Stuttgart pressed forward with its new dialogue-based and experiential brand presence at trade fairs, taking advantage of the opportunities offered by the new format of the IAA, held from Sept 7 to 12 this year in the German city of Munich after almost 70 years in Frankfurt.Ī diverse array of themed experiences was organised both at Munich’s gorgeous city centre and at the exhibition centre, anchored on the carmaker’s transition to a zero emissions, sustainable and digital future. As Malaysians who have been under lockdown for what seems like an eternity, reading about Mercedes-Benz’s presence at the Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung fills us with excitement.
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