IAA Mobility Munich Success Story
Munich – The first IAA MOBILITY in Munich is a resounding success. The organizers, visitors and exhibitors are very satisfied with the new concept. Under the name of IAA MOBILITY, the first platform for the mobility of the future has brought together the most varied modes of transport – from cars and bicycles to digital solutions and urban air mobility. In total, 744 exhibitors and 936 speakers from 32 countries took part at the IAA MOBILITY, presenting and discussing their innovations and visions for the climate-neutral mobility of the future.
“We took a courageous step and were rewarded by the visitors,” said Hildegard Müller, President of the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA), which organized the first IAA MOBILITY this year jointly with Messe München. “400,000 participants in only six days are a clear case of ‘voting with their feet.’ The visitors were evidently very interested in and delighted by the whole experience. The IAA MOBILITY is now the largest mobility event in the world. New electric cars, bicycles, e-scooters, energy policies and urban planning, digitization and more – here in Munich we presented and discussed what needs to be thought together in the future. At the IAA MOBILITY Conference, we also experienced lively discussions on the path to the new mobility. The exhibitors unveiled more than 100 premieres of their latest models and concepts, underscoring the fact that the transformation of mobility is being driven forward toward climate neutrality and digitization.”
“The new IAA MOBILITY is a strong signal to the world that international exhibitions in Germany are now possible again,” said Klaus Dittrich, Chairman and CEO of Messe München. “We can hold such major events safely; the safety and hygiene concept has worked outstandingly well. The exhibitors and visitors have kept to the rules and shown a lot of understanding.”
At the premiere of the IAA MOBILITY 2021, the organizers have written trade show history by bringing the current topics of the mobility industry into the city center and thus making them available to a broad public. The city of Munich and the state of Bavaria have been committed to organizing this mobility show and can benefit from the experience gained here because trade fairs contribute indirectly to the economic strength of the region.
“The city of Munich has proven to be a wonderful host for the IAA MOBILITY and confirmed the potential of the location. The visitors in the city enjoyed the opportunities on a large scale and demonstrated a great understanding of the restrictions associated with a major event of this type. We are looking forward to the next IAA MOBILITY, which from now on will be an important economic factor in Munich,” Dittrich said.
Hildegard Müller added, “I wish to thank the city of Munich and its citizens, and the numerous visitors, who have generously welcomed the IAA MOBILITY. The stands were filled to full capacity and the streets were filled with people. In some places we had to limit access temporarily to avoid overcrowding. We found that people fully accepted the restrictions due to constructions and the crowded city center and wish to express our sincere thanks! I also wish to thank – alongside the city – the Free State of Bavaria, which has consistently supported the IAA MOBILITY. My special thanks also go to the security and rescue services as well as the police. With their commitment and responsible approach, they ensured that the event run safely. Now Munich and Bavaria are the new home of the world’s largest mobility event.”
Summary of data on the participants: a total of 744 exhibitors presented themselves at the IAA MOBILITY 2021, including automotive companies with 98 exhibition areas, 75 bicycle brands, 152 supply firms, tech companies and 78 startups. Among them were well-known OEMs such as Renault, Hyundai, Ford, BMW, MINI, Mercedes-Benz, Wey, Ora, Audi, Porsche, Cupra, Volkswagen, Huawei, Microsoft, IBM, Bosch, Magna, Schaeffler, Continental, Michelin, and the bicycle brands Canyon, Specialized, Riese & Müller, Rose, Kettler and many more.
Over 40 national and international partners and sponsors from industry, the service sector, the media, and academia attended the IAA MOBILITY 2021, presenting their knowledge and expertise. The partners included PwC, Google, Facebook, IBM, Here Technology, Team Viewer, CCPIT Shanghai, Siemens, Seven.One Sports, Dolby, Hays, Accenture, The Boston Consulting Group, Capgemini, TikTok, YouTube, Motorsport Network, Bloomberg, MyClimate, Amazon Web Services, VAUDE, Share Now, Bits & Pretzels, Dassault Systems, the World Economic Forum, the Bavarian State Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Forestry, Humboldt Innovation, Women in Mobility, the University of St. Gallen and a large number of other partners from academia, the hospitality sector and the event industry.
The IAA MOBILITY occupied a total of 260,000 sq m of event space, 195,000 sq m of which was located on the trade show grounds and 65,000 sq m in Munich’s inner city. In all, 255 vehicles were in use on the Blue Lane, 7,000 test drives were booked. At the IAA MOBILITY, 936 speakers presented and discussed ideas and innovations in all areas of mobility. The Citizen Lab right in front of Munich’s city hall offered 42 hours of discussions on the mobility of tomorrow over a period of six days.
Overall, the IAA MOBILITY was attended by 400,000 participants and 3,500 journalists from 95 countries. This means that the new IAA MOBILITY attracted 32 percent more visitors per day compared to the average number of visitors at the last IAA in Frankfurt – despite the continuing COVID-19 restrictions. on international travel.
Sixty-seven percent of visitors were under the age of 40. Eighty-six percent of visitors graded the concept for the IAA MOBILITY as either good or very good. They gave especially positive ratings to the mix of exhibitors and the opportunities to try out innovations on-site.
The international (potential) reach of the IAA MOBILITY 2021 exceeded 137 billion hits worldwide. The social media channels of the IAA MOBILITY recorded 140 million page impressions. Reports from the IAA MOBILITY were accessed over 38 million times on YouTube and TikTok alone. Coverage was especially intensive in countries such as China, the USA, South Korea, Spain, Italy, Brazil, and of course Germany.
This media reach makes the IAA MOBILITY this year’s most important media event after the Olympic Games and the European Football Championship
“The IAA Mobility has proven that the safety and hygiene concept created by Messe München does an excellent job, even at a highly complex event,” Dittrich declared. It was based on a smart guidance system, consistent admittance checks (including the Open Space), good ventilation in the exhibition halls, social distancing, face masks and the requirement that visitors be vaccinated, recovered, or tested, whereby tests must have been carried out within the last 24 hours. All those involved accepted the rules, which made the trade show a safe experience.
“We are now evaluating the event and will further develop our strategy so that we can welcome an even broader spectrum of exhibitors at the next IAA MOBILITY, and to continue the dialog on the future of mobility. I am certain that in 2023, after the end of the pandemic, we will also be able to welcome a significant number of international exhibitors who could not attend this time because of the travel restrictions,” Hildegard Müller said.
The next IAA MOBILITY will be held in Munich from September 5 to 10, 2023.
Regardless of the event format in Munich, the IAA MOBILITY will continue operating its website www.iaa.de, making it a worldwide digital platform for the transformation of mobility on the path to climate neutrality, for innovations around cars, bikes, scooters, car and ride sharing, digitization and urban development.
Pirelli Tires Wheeled @iAAMobility
The world’s leading carmakers at the 2021 International IAA Mobility Show in Munich have chosen Pirelli tyres for their most sustainable cars. Nearly one in three electric cars (29%) at the show and on the road in Munich use Pirelli P Zero or Scorpion tyres. With some of these tyres containing Elect technology, designed for cars with zero or low emissions, Pirelli’s Cinturato P7 tyres are also at the show on the BMW 320e hybrid and 3 Series models.
Completing the look of the latest car models
P Zero tyres with Elect markings are Ultra High Performance (UHP) tyres that combines Pirelli’s experience in motorsport with Elect; technology, chosen to equip cars such as the Porsche Taycan, Ford Mustang Mach-E GT, Polestar 1, BMW iX and the new Mercedes-Benz EQE, at the show in Munich. The P Zero Elect tyres are also fitted on the concept car Audi Grandsphere Concept and Mercedes-Benz Concept EQG; as well as the new Mercedes-Benz EQB and Ford Mustang Mach-E 4X.
The models from the Scorpion family – tyres that are designed for SUVs and crossovers – are also showcased on other new releases in Munich, such as the Volkswagen ID.4 GTX and ID.5 GTX, the Volvo XC90 plug-in Hybrid and the Jaguar EV400 AWD, as well as the Mercedes-Benz EQCc 400 4matic AMG Line.
Elect: more range, quiet, and grip
Pirelli Elect tyres are characterised by a package of specific technologies for electric and plug-in hybrid cars: low rolling resistance to increase range, decreased road noise to improve comfort, immediate grip to deal with instant torque, and the right structure to support the weight of a battery-powered vehicle. These have been developed by Pirelli together with the world’s leading carmakers to meet the specialised technical demands of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles according to Pirelli’s ‘perfect fit’ philosophy, with a specific compound, structure and tread pattern design for each car.
The world’s first set of FSC-certified tyres
The world’s first Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified tyres on show for the first time, the Pirelli P Zero tyres which contain FSC-certified* natural rubber and rayon are fitted on new BMW iX5 Hydrogen and BMW X5 xDrive45e Plug-In Hybrid. FSC forest management certification confirms that plantations are managed in a way that preserves biological diversity and benefits the lives of local people and workers, while ensuring it sustains economic viability. The complex FSC chain of custody certification process verifies that FSC-certified material has been identified and separated from non-certified material as it makes its way along the supply chain, from the plantations to the tyre manufacturer
* FSC License Code: FSC N003618
Audi Autonomous
The steering wheel retracts as if by magic, the driver’s seat slides into a comfortable position, and the car keeps on driving by itself. With its fully electric show car, the Audi grandsphere concept, the premium carmaker is showing at the IAA how the interior of the vehicle will change in the future as the driver becomes a passenger when driving functions become increasingly automated. In addition to the technological outlook, Audi’s activities at the IAA focused on the social aspect of automated driving with a panel discussion at the “House of Progress” brand pavilion in Munich.
“After e-mobility, the next and significantly more radical change will be the shift to smarter and, ultimately, autonomous vehicles,” says Markus Duesmann, CEO of AUDI AG. “For us, automated driving is a key technology with the potential to make traffic safer and mobility more comfortable and inclusive.”
With the Audi grandsphere concept, the premium carmaker is showing the IAA how fully automated driving enables new levels of freedom. In Level 4 mode, the interior turns into a spacious sphere of experience without a steering wheel, pedals, or displays. As well as taking over the task of driving wherever possible, the vehicle offers everyone on board a wide range of options for taking advantage of this freedom for relaxation, work, or entertainment. Audi is working with CARIAD, the Volkswagen Group’s software think tank, toward introducing the technology in the second half of the decade.
The broad-based acceptance of autonomous driving depends on the technological maturity of the driving systems as well as on the social aspect and moral issues around road traffic. Duesmann says that it will require a major adjustment for people to get used to literally no longer holding the steering wheel in their hand. At the IAA, Audi therefore addressed not only the technological solutions but also the social issues of the autonomous driving revolution.
At Wittelsbacherplatz in Munich, Uta Karen Klawitter, General Counsel Legal Services AUDI AG, Tobias Miethaner, Head of Department Digital Society, Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure, and Christoph Lütge, Director Institute for Ethics in Artificial Intelligence at the Technical University of Munich, engaged in a panel discussion led by Saskia Lexen, Project Manager for the &Audi Initiative at AUDI AG.
Klawitter, Miethaner and Lütge are three of the more than 20 experts from universities, companies, associations and politics with whom the &Audi Initiative discussed the social issues of autonomous driving in spring and summer 2021.
What legal and political conditions are required for the vision of future mobility to become a reality, and what are the necessary data protection regulations? How do people’s attitudes need to change in order for new technologies like autonomous driving to enjoy broad-based acceptance? In the discussion, Lütge emphasized the importance of an interdisciplinary approach to the technology: “We need to take care not to view autonomous driving solely as a technical challenge. The only way for us to fully harness the opportunities of this technology is by engaging in a dialog with people and taking their concerns into account.” Miethaner is confident that trust in autonomous driving will increase by itself as the vehicles are gradually rolled out: “I firmly believe that people will want this technology once they appreciate its potential to let them use their time differently.” Klawitter had positive words for the German Federal Government’s legislation on Level 4 vehicles: “This legal framework lays the foundations for getting almost every potential Level 4 autonomous driving application onto the road.”
The results will be published in October 2021 with three focal areas: “Law and progress” will discuss topics including current questions of liability, “The relationship of trust between man and machine” will address the ethical aspect of autonomous driving, and “Connected security” will focus on relevant aspects of data protection. The experts will examine the issues from their own professional perspective. “We believe that a transparent, interdisciplinary dialog about the opportunities and challenges of autonomous driving is the only way to generate the necessary acceptance of the technology,” says Saskia Lexen.
Mobility, especially in urban areas, is changing rapidly. Congestion of motor vehicle infrastructure in cities, growing environmental awareness and a mega trend towards a healthier lifestyle are facilitators of this change. Poor bicycle infrastructure fuels fear of accidents and the resulting injuries which is what constitutes one of the main inhibitors of bicycle traffic. This is what sparked EVOC to make bike commuting safer and more comfortable with the products of the COMMUTING line from 2023.
From zero to safe in 0.2 seconds
Safety first in the urban bike jungle: the COMMUTE A.I.R. PRO 18 backpack combines the protection of the innovatively integrated airbag technology with the integrated LITESHIELD-PLUS back protector (EN 1621; level 2). This provides optimum protection for the neck, shoulders, collarbones, as well as the chest area. The airbag system was developed in collaboration with Minerva-AS GmbH specifically for the application in bike backpacks for commutes to work, school or leisure activities.
The heart of the system is a sensor-controlled, inflatable airbag protector with a volume of 18 liters. It is activated and deactivated by opening or closing an electric, magnetic buckle on the chest strap. The USB-chargeable sensory unit analyses the position of the backpack up to 1,100 times per second. Once the defined deployment criteria are met, e.g. in a crash, the airbag inflates within 0.2 seconds and unfolds its protective effect. This reduces the impact forces and braking acceleration (HIC – head injury criterion) on the cyclist by up to 80%.
The airbag is mechanically deployed via the activation of an e-igniter. Once deployed and checked for damage, the system can be reused with a new cartridge.
In addition, the backpack made of recycled Polyester, offers all the features any modern cyclist could wish for on their daily trips to work or leisure activities: a laptop compartment with lateral quick access, organizer compartments, pockets for glasses and smartphone, an elastic lateral pocket, a height-adjustable hip belt for perfect fit made of AIRO-FLEX, as well as seamless shoulder straps to minimize friction. If the removeable back protector shows visible signs of damage after a crash, it will be replaced in line with the FREE PROTECTOR CRASH REPLACEMENT. (RRP: 900 €, available from Spring 2022)