Did you knowSHIFT is taking the stage this fall?
Its September, and in-person events are slowly returning to Europe.
This week saw the return of the IAA fair.
It moved from Frankfurt to Munich, and its new rebrand is theIAA Mobility.
Is IAA show still relevant?
Do people still visit car shows to look for their next purchase or aspirational car?
COVID made car makers pivot sharply to online sales.
Online vendors such as Tesla andCarvana, have shown theres another way.
Many brands are focusing on lifestyle integration.
Most people dont need a car show to convince them to buy theyre online doing their own research.
Stallholders hold meetings with each other to talk trade and partnerships.
It’s free, every week, in your inbox.
If nothing else, many people are suffering from Zoom fatigue.
However, the Stellantis group (Peugeot-Fiat-Chrysler), Toyota, and Tesla are notably absent.
This is a hugely appealing way to make sales.
Its a necessary pivot.
Car OEMs are struggling to win hearts and minds for all their concept cars and latest design features.
After all, people are turning towards greener modes of transport.
I predict well see a very different show in about a decade.
Itll be one where carmakers woo fleet operators, not private owners.
The core audience will come there to try out alternate modes of transport.
Its no coincidence that Hyundai held their own Hydrogen Wave Forum online yesterday (more on that soon).
Unsurprisingly, the event included a visit by the leader known locally as the car chancellor Angela Merkel.
She earned the moniker for her efforts to protect German carmakers from tougher EU pollution regulations.
German elections are at the end of the month and IAA Mobility is the place to be seen.
Many parties support greener modes of transport.
As a result, the last few months have seen greener streets.
Berlin is full of pop-up bike lanes, parking places replaced by seating, andintentionally car-free streets.
They cant help themselves.
Before Merkels visit, VWchief executive Herbert Diess had plenty to say.
An industry still reeling from dieselgate
German automakers have a sordid history with greenwashing.
This allowed them to meet exhaust pollution standards when monitored in tests.
But in real life, their emissions exceeded the limits.
Some released up to 40 times more nitrogen oxide than legal limits.
For the next five years, the EPA found the software in even more VW cars.
Police filedcharges of market manipulationagainst other staff members following the scandal.
It left the public deeply distrustful of the carmakers claims.
The car industry funds 99% of this.
Its also a major consumer of products from many other manufacturing sectors.
Without the auto sector, it isnt easy to imagine manufacturing surviving.
So, any loss in car manufacturing means a loss in jobs.
But for now, the automotive sector is hugely influential in Germany.
Do EVs excite your electrons?
Do ebikes get your wheels spinning?
Do self-driving cars get you all charged up?
Story byCate Lawrence
Cate Lawrence is an Australian tech journo living in Berlin.
