2023-09-02 17:27:15
The protest against the International Motor Show (IAA Mobility) in Munich looks cozy. In the middle of Stachus in downtown Munich, Greenpeace activists set up plush upholstered furniture on Saturday. Representatives of the “Last Generation” climate protection group, the Federal Government for Environmental Protection and Nature Conservation (BUND) and the Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) sit opposite one another. They discuss environmental protection and the achievement of climate targets. The requests to speak are sometimes sharp, but always factual.
But things are not so constructive between the car industry and its critics everywhere in Munich. On Friday, environmental activists blocked traffic in the Munich city area. According to their own statements, the Munich police took 27 activists into custody by Saturday afternoon. And that might just be the beginning.
Hot autumn days are imminent in Munich. The IAA Mobility motor show will take place in the Bavarian capital for the second time since 2021. Around 700,000 visitors are expected at the trade fair from September 5th to 10th.
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But the celebration of the car manufacturers is also in the focus of environmentalists and climate activists. Numerous anti-capitalist and climate policy groups have announced protests. The so-called climate stickers of the “last generation” have also called for blockades throughout the Munich city area and have already started with the first actions.
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The IAA has already been the target of critics and activists in recent years. There are many indications that the protest could be particularly broad this year. The movement of climate stickers has developed a modus operandi through its countless blockade actions, which will hardly be stopped by a large police force.
At the same time, Bavaria is in the state election campaign. Bavaria’s Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann (CSU) can therefore be particularly uninterested in the police showing an impression of weakness.
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The exhibition concept could also ensure a possibly turbulent event in the coming days. In addition to the exhibition grounds, the IAA also takes place across the entire city. This opens up a wide field of possibilities for actions by activists.
All well-known car manufacturers can be affected by possible unannounced actions. BMW, Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz and numerous other manufacturers will also be presenting their new cars at stands in the city centre. The fact that the new products from the manufacturers are all electric cars will hardly deter the protests.
The auto industry is responding to the widespread protests in its own way. This was evident, for example, when BMW boss Oliver Zipse presented his vision of environmentally friendly mobility for the future at the same time as the discussion at the Stachus: a prototype of the “New Class”.
BMW promises sustainability
This should be on the market from 2025, be purely electric and have a significantly greater range and lower consumption than today. The cars should also consist largely of recycled materials and fewer composite materials, so that they can be recycled more easily.
When Zipse promises “a clear focus on sustainability,” he doesn’t sound much different than his critics. But they were not present at the presentation. The car manufacturer had chosen a hall outside the city center as the venue for this.
The German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA), which organizes the trade fair, even offered the “last generation” its own stand. But the climate stickers rejected that. They were invited to talks, “but that was flatly rejected,” complains the BMW boss. He finds it frightening that the radical opponents of the IAA are not willing to engage in dialogue. “They can really talk to us,” says Zipse.
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The discussion at the Stachus showed how far apart the positions of environmental activists and the car lobby are. “We are pursuing the same goals, namely the implementation of the climate goals,” emphasized Simon Schütz, spokesman for the VDA.
However, his campaign for the switch to e-mobility did not catch on with the environmental groups. Representatives of the last generation and the BUND do not want to see this as a solution and instead call for a massive expansion of local public transport (ÖPNV). “As a society, we should discuss how we want to shape mobility in the future and not allow the federal government to design these concepts for us,” said Simon Lachner, a member of the “Last Generation”.
The orientation of the fair was also controversial among the discussants. The VDA emphasized that this is not just a car show, but a mobility show. The activists on stage criticized this concept as “greenwashing”. “It is absurd to hold a trade fair to promote polluting modes of transport such as cars,” said a Greenpeace representative.
Bicycles at the auto show
At the IAA two years ago, the organizer VDA tried to give the show a green coat of paint by inviting masses of bicycle manufacturers to the fair. Their stands filled two entire halls. This year the number of wheel companies has decreased significantly. Instead of at the fair, they also exhibit their products in the city center. Visitors can try out the bikes on a course in the English Garden.
The participation of non-car companies is manageable. There are hardly any bus and train providers in the program. This is also due to a competing event that takes place at the same time as the IAA in Berlin, the “Zukunft Nahverkehr” trade fair. The organizers of the conference program are trying to heal the overlapping dates with the help of a technical crutch: “Visitors can use VR glasses to switch to the respective conference stage in the other city,” says a joint announcement.
Some car managers could also wish for the VR glasses to hide the protests.
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