If you are looking for a single page to see all my posts on the IAA, this could be your best bet. I plan to cover here the Frankfurt Motor Show with useful infos, teasers, and private thoughts that might prove helpful to those who consider playing a visit.
Major international car shows have an unmistaken atmosphere, and the Frankfurt exhibition is probably the largest in the continent. The exhibition area encompasses five-six large multi-story buildings and countless smaller halls connected by passages, elevators and escalators.
The Frankfurt expo area is so vast, that corporate limos and demo cars transport journalists between the two far ends, i.e. from BMW to Mercedes. That is not just a simple courtesy, walking that route takes its tolls in time and fatigue, especially if the weather does not play along.
I always stress in my event reports, I am not an automotive journalist, I attend these events to have fun and discover exciting novelties. And the IAA does its best to meet these requirements.
It offers the best of Germany’s pride and joy, where domestic manufacturers try to outshine each other, while import brands try to keep up with their pace. The show remains open for two weeks and the daily opening hours are generous, from 9:00AM to 19:00PM.
One of the distinctive benefits of IAA is that it offers enthusiasts a premium day for an extra charge of 48 EUR. This means visitors can enter without press or industry accreditation on a professional day for a higher fee. At the same time, weekday tickets are available for as low as 13 EUR (when bought online). I advise you to refrain from weekends.
The general trend of manufacturers missing out on international car shows takes its toll on Frankfurt, but the halls of domestic brands are still memorable.
WV Group, Mercedes and BMW are filling entire buildings, showcasing world premieres and exciting concept cars.
It is almost impossible to see everything in a single day, especially when queuing for cars, and trying out spectacles (like VR simulators, test drives or artist performances).
This year’s show will be further plagued by the absence of manufacturers, a trend that affects all car shows now. In Paris last year, half the industry reported absent. This year’s list is simply frightening and includes Alpine, Aston Martin, Cadillac, Citroën, Chevrolet, Dacia, DS, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Peugeot, Renault, Rolls-Royce, Toyota and Volvo. This turns the IAA 2019 into a German domestic show, beaten by Geneva but also the Brussels Car Show.
During the previous years, the empty space caused by the absences were used primarily by unknown Chinese brands and the classic car world, but this level of absence is hard to compensate.
The slogan of the IAA 2019 is “Driving tomorrow”, and the event aims to become the leading international platform for the very latest developments in the world of mobility. Tomorrow I plan to make my way to Frankfurt and tell you about my first impressions….
As the open days arrived, it is time to share my favourite spots of the exhibition. All of these programs are about impressing visitors with refreshing experiences beyond the 5 minutes seat probe. If you are not going to Frankfurt to buy a new car, this is the list you actually need!
Concept cars are an integral part of major car shows and a great addition to every stage. They highlight the prominent role of a factory stage while the concept will benefit from the media limelight generated by the show. This article aims to present my favourite concept cars of the IAA 2019. A 50 years late prototype, the next BMW M1, the S-Class of the future and an off-road Audi with drones for headlights. Car industry has big plans for the future, well beyond the usual cliches…
Entering into the details, here is a comprehensive review on the impressions from Mercedes’ chambers:
BMW usually brings the best and brightest of their offering, spiced up with concept cars and world premieres. It tells a lot about Frankfurt 2019 that the Bavarians rented out half the hall. Thus, Landy returned to the BMW hall like in the old days while Hyundai and Opel also bunked into Hall 11, accompanied by Trasco, who prepares tanks on Volvo basis.
BMW Group and its new tenants: Jag, Landy, Opel and a Swedish tank
The brands scattered around in the Agora are summarised in this article. Polestar, McLaren and Renault opted for a lightweight representation, but this does not mean that visitors would leave disappointed.
The Heritage Hall is the special thematic exhibition of the 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show. Located directly by the Torhaus entrance, it occupy the ground floor of Hall nr 4, at a total area of over 11,000 square meters. This section is devoted to exclusive classic cars and motorcycles in the high-end segment.
Some general thoughts:
I left the IAA with somewhat mixed feelings. I saw dozens of car shows in the past 10 years, including four IAAs, and I never felt so clearly that something is not right. The challenges also brought changes in the way automotive players envisage their trade show presence, and this might not please everybody. Here are 10 trends and symptoms that I personally did not like:
I crafted a poll on DriveTribe about the future of car shows, you are invited to fill it out, just three simple questions:
