When is a motor show not a motor show
his week marks the beginning of Germany's biennial
Internationale Automobil Austellung - or International
Motor Show.Traditionally, it is a chance for the country
to parade the enduring strength of its own car industry,
while welcoming the biggest brands from around the
world.But this year's event, held in the Bavarian city of
Munich, promises to be very different.And that is not just
because it is taking place as the pandemic still rages and
the car industry appears to be an increasingly-tempting
target for politicians keen to show off their
environmental credentials.Changing gearsFor a start, this
year's show won't just be about cars. Organiser, the
German Automotive Industry Association, insists the focus
is instead being placed on 'climate neutral mobility'. The
city of Munich itself will open up roads and public spaces
to allow visitors to try out new concepts in sustainable
transport. And cycling brands such as Specialized, Scott
and Canyon will take their place in the exhibition halls
alongside the likes of Porsche and Mercedes.When the Covid
pandemic hit early last year, major international trade
fairs such as the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona and
the Geneva International Motor Show were cancelled at
short notice. Such events, which brought together
thousands of people from all around the world, were simply
untenable during a period of lockdowns, closed borders and
quarantine restrictions.Munich is the first attempt to
re-establish a high-profile motor show in Europe. Indeed,
it is the first major international event in Germany since
the country eased its lockdown restrictions. But making a
success of it won't be easy.That's because even before the
pandemic, the future of the traditional auto industry
showcase was already hanging in the balance.The last IAA
was held in 2019. Back then, it was the Frankfurt Motor
Show, an event held on a grand scale. Each of the three
major German manufacturers had a giant pavilion pretty
much to themselves. Further vast halls housed companies
from across the globe - all with their no-expense-spared
displays of four-wheeled fashion.But frankly, for anyone
who attended, the event was a form of purgatory. The show
was simply too big. It took 20 minutes simply to get from
one end of the showground to the other. It was always hot,
stuffy and very noisy - leaving attendees, like myself,
with a thumping headache and impressive blisters.But more
importantly, it was becoming far too expensive. A large
stand at any of the international auto shows costs
millions - and many of the major manufacturers have
decided it's not worth the money. Big name absences became
commonplace, both at Frankfurt and at the Paris Motor
Show.By 2019, after an event that was - embarrassingly -
disrupted by climate activists, the organisers decided it
was time for a change. They ditched Frankfurt, which had
hosted the show since the 1950s, and head to a new city.
Munich, on the banks of the Isar river, was chosen - but
then came Covid. Running on emptyThe pandemic wreaked
havoc within a motor industry that was already grappling
with huge change. Governments, especially those in Europe,
have been setting ambitious deadlines for eliminating the
sale of new petrol and diesel cars. Emissions limits have
been cut right back, and manufacturers have been rushing
to develop electric vehicles. At the same time, the
pressure is on to make cars ever more connected, and ever
more automated. And all of that comes at a hefty
price.Manufacturers were also facing mounting bills as a
result of the pandemic. Initially, they were forced to
close factories and dealerships; then disruptions to the
supply chain made it hard to recover lost ground.What is
happening in Munich this week, then, is an attempt to
reinvent the motor show itself, at a time when many within
the industry are questioning whether such events are
luxuries they can no longer afford."Put it this way", one
executive recently told me, "if you've already set aside
several million Euros to attend a show, then it's easy to
get the board to sign off on it. But if that budget has
been diverted elsewhere, it's very difficult to get it
back".As a result, in Munich, many of the World's largest
carmakers will be conspicuous by their absence. There will
be no General Motors, no Ford, no Toyota, and no
Stellantis, which makes Peugeot, Citroen, Vauxhall, Fiat
and Alfa Romeo vehicles, among others. Instead, the
line-up is dominated by the three big German makes,
Volkswagen, Daimler-Benz and BMW. They'll be joined by
Renault, Hyundai, the Chinese manufacturer Great Wall, and
the luxury electric vehicle specialist Polestar.But the
organisers insist this is not a problem. The focus of the
show has been changed dramatically, from a petrolhead's
dream of the latest, sleekest and fastest four-wheeled
machinery, to something designed to encompass all aspects
of mobility - with tech companies, startups and bicycle
manufacturers also being invited in."Mobility is one of
society's foremost topics," explains Hildegard Mueller,
the President of the German Automotive Industry
Association"People all over the world are seeking better
solutions to their mobility needs. The main focus will be
solutions on the path to climate neutrality".But some
things will not change. The manufacturers who are at the
show are still planning to unveil plenty of new cars,
though many of them will be electric; and we will still
see plenty of futuristic 'concepts', fantasy cars created
from the fevered imaginations of engineers given a licence
to think big thoughts about the future.What's the point of
concept cars?Why electric cars will take over sooner than
you thinkBut the thing we're likely to hear less of this
time is the 'sharing economy'. A few years ago, auto
industry executives were convinced that fewer and fewer
people would be buying private cars. Shared-use models
would be all the rage, with people only using cars when
they needed them.That idea hasn't wholly gone away - the
rush to develop and commercialise self-driving taxis is
still on, for example - but there's an acceptance too that
the pandemic has made people aware that private transport
does still retain some distinct advantages.Individual
mobility has suddenly become a lot more valuable.
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