2023-09-02 18:56:46
The IAA no longer wants to be just a car show. But behind the greenish facade of the trade fair there is still an industry with a business model that is harmful to the climate and nature.
It would be unfair to say that only the name and city have changed. In fact, the International Motor Show, as it now operates for the second time as the IAA Mobility in Munich, can no longer be compared with the car show that has been held in Frankfurt for decades. Even as far as size is concerned. Of the almost one million visitors who crowded the halls in Frankfurt in 2015, not even half stayed after the move to Munich in 2021. There is also a decline in the exhibitors: the Peugeot and Fiat mother Stellantis has canceled as well as the world market leader Toyota. Asian brands like Mazda, Suzuki or Honda have been missing the IAA for a long time. The strategy against the loss of meaning is: broadening. The Mobility in the name shows. It’s not just about cars anymore. There are now also a few bicycle manufacturers in the remaining halls and the program often talks about mobility and less about cubic capacity.
So has the auto industry understood? Is she drawing the conclusions from the fact that traffic has been chasing its climate targets for years? After all, well over 90 percent of CO2 emissions come from road traffic. In order for the amount of greenhouse gases to drop quickly enough, not only must fuel consumption go down, but also the number of cars, and at the same time climate-friendly alternatives such as trains and public transport must be expanded. All of this is known, including the auto industry. However, this knowledge is not reflected in the manufacturer’s business model.
The German car manufacturers in particular continue to rely on cars that are getting bigger, heavier and more energy-hungry. Small, efficient e-cars have so far hardly been found in their range. German manufacturers are withdrawing from sharing offers, with which cars can be used more efficiently, especially in cities.
The IAA, with its modern program, lies like a green veil over a dangerously backward industry. Dangerous because of the multiple ecological crises that are fueled by far too high CO2 emissions and an enormous consumption of resources. But it is also dangerous for the manufacturers themselves, who have clung to the combustion engine for too long, who are now being overtaken by Asian and American manufacturers and who offer no answer to the requirements of climate-friendly mobility in which public transport will play a major role.
This is exactly what the Greenpeace youths are demanding before the start of the IAA with a 100 square meter streetscape on the Stachus in Munich (see photo above).
It would be the task of a forward-looking transport policy to steer this industry, which is important for Germany, in a future-oriented direction and pave the way for them to become mobility providers. Key decisions on this are pending with the review of the federal government’s road construction plans. So far, Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) is planning to build almost 1000 kilometers of additional motorways. The dictum of traffic planning “Who sows roads will reap traffic” seems unknown to Wissing. Bad news – for the planet and for the industry.
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