Forget the Frankfurt Motor Show, which was historically the most imposing automotive event in Europe. Make way for the Munich Mobility Fair. If the three letters IAA remain, everything else changes. So was it better before? L’argus was there and gives you his impressions.
The IAA Munich mobility fair was expected around the corner as much by journalists as by observers of the automotive industry. After two editions of the Geneva Motor Show (2020 and 2021) and a Paris Motor Show in 2020, canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Bavarian event marks a return to business in Europe. But is this new formula combining a classic paid exhibition in the halls of the Messe and ephemeral stands or corners, scattered around the center of the city, the panacea?
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A living room in the city center, or not.
A trade fair that makes the city its own and which requires visitors to travel a lot to visit it as a whole is, on paper, the ideal champion of mobility. Be careful that, in practice, this “cantor” does not make us disillusioned …
From an economic point of view, the few builders who chose to participate had to multiply the costs by two in order to be present both in town and in the grounds of the Messe (exhibition center). And no way, with rare exceptions, to lean on a concession to limit the expenditure. Apart from Cupra who seized the opportunity to open his City Garage in Munich – as it has been able to do in other large European cities – the other brands are capitalizing more on sales areas that are more remote.
From a practical point of view, unless you have the gift of ubiquity, it is difficult to be in two places at the same time like Dacia present in lake mode, at the entrance of the show and, in ephemeral concession mode, downtown. On the positive side, this offers a double exposure to the Dacia Jogger. Because, to make matters worse, builders are not placed close to each other, it even takes more than a kilometer to reach Odeonplatz from Königsplatz. We will console ourselves by discovering the architectural beauty of the city center of the capital of Bavaria. From this point of view, the expanse between the different venues invested may be reminiscent of the Frankfurt trade fair fire.
Finally, it takes 30 minutes by metro or 40 minutes by shuttle, or even a little more depending on traffic conditions, to reach this exhibition in the city center and the exhibition center located to the east of the city. You will have to be a big fan of cars to make the trip or absolutely want to make your entry ticket profitable (20 €). Be careful, if the production models can be present in both places, the concepts will only be visible in one place …
Smaller stands
The classic part of the so-called “Summit” show is divided into 9 distinct halls but when we detail the purely automotive part, the count quickly drops to four. And even, there are often only one or two manufacturers per hall, surrounded by a multitude of equipment manufacturers. The latter are exhibited on stands of very respectable size, often larger than those of the manufacturers. Indeed, the surfaces here have nothing to do with those of Frankfurt. It was therefore necessary to make choices as at Renault, which significantly revised its layout between September 6 and 7. Even Mercedes had to bring in its many new products to the shoehorn.
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As for the other pavilions (B4, B5 and B6), they are entirely devoted to cycles, another aspect of mobility. If bicycles are clearly in the spirit of the political times, they seem much less attractive to professionals: the aisles were, in fact, sparse, and the safety distances were easier to respect. Other areas of the exhibition center are also reserved for conferences in order to redefine the contours of the automobile.
Angela Merkel’s der
The inauguration of the Munich Motor Show was held on September 7 at 2:00 p.m. in the presence of Chancellor Angela Merkel who will step down on September 26, 2021. To allow the German leader to make her visit under good conditions, the Police forces secured the area surrounding the Mass and kept the environmental demonstrators from Greenpeace at a very good distance, who gathered in the city for symbolic actions. A device that has created many traffic jams in and around the city. Moreover, if Mme Merkel praised the progress made by manufacturers on electric models, many voices are raised to criticize the short-term political strategy put in place, in particular by maintaining the tax advantages on diesel.
IAA Munich: regional or international trade fair?
You will understand, this very first edition of the Munich Motor Show is a transitional event. The context is still fragile and we must salute here the organizers and exhibitors who have tried the adventure by unveiling new world premieres like the Renault Mégane E-Tech Electric. The presence of this French novelty, as well as of Great Wall Motor (via its Wey and Ora brands), has also made it possible to somewhat internationalize a very Germanic Show (even if Opel was missing …). If the IAA in Munich does not want to be a simple regional exhibition (considered as such by certain brands present), it must attract more global groups (Toyota, Stellantis …). The formula is therefore far from perfect and offering a Mobility Fair does not mean moving visitors from one point in the city to another.
The organizers of the Paris Motor Show (Paris Automotive Week) made the trip to Munich. Hopefully they will not remember the double exposure that led manufacturers to transfer their models from one end of Munich to the other during the night of September 6 to 7. For now, their hesitation relates to the location: Porte de Versailles or the Parc des Expositions in Villepinte, less expensive and close to Charles-de-Gaulle airport but further from Paris. Until then, car manufacturers have an appointment in Switzerland where the 91e Edition of the Geneva Motor Show is to be held from February 19 to 27, 2022. The success or otherwise of this spring exhibition will give a vision on the future of European Motor Shows. Many voices are raised to say that only one major event will remain in Europe.
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