In a first commentary we already commented on the concept of this year's IAA Mobility. What did the exhibitors show?
In addition to the thematic focus of the expert lectures and discussion rounds as well as the vehicles on the exhibition grounds (day ticket from € 175!), the organisers wanted to become even "closer" for the public and therefore expanded the areas called "open space" in the centre of Munich, which were accessible to everyone free of charge.
The most important innovations - from our point of view - are presented below.
The BMW Group as local hero indeed provided one of the highlights of the IAA MOBILITY 2023 with the VISION "New Class". After having shown a spectacular outlook on electric mobility with the i3 and i8 exactly 10 years ago, and then having completely slept through the further development, a real rethink now seems to have set in. Even though CEO Oliver Zipse still talks about "openness to technology" and promotes low-emission combustion engines, this "new class" heralds the start of a consistent restructuring of the company (hopefully!).
However, it will probably take at least another two years before the vision becomes reality, because the other models shown, right up to the monstrous i7 "Protection", still correspond to the current line with the oversized kidney in the radiator grille.
The competitors from Stuttgart and Ingolstadt, on the other hand, presented very futuristic concept studies at their stands.
Mercedes showed the One-Eleven as a super sports car with gullwing doors, a homage to the legendary C111, Porsche presented the MissionX and Audi the activesphere concept. All three studies are visually impressive, but will they ever make it into series production?
In addition to the ID.7, Volkswagen also presented the concept of an electric "GTI" successor. Both will certainly complement the Wolfsburg company's future model range and also find their buyers.
Much more important, however - but unfortunately only a concept so far - would be the rapid market launch of the "ID.2all", a genuine people's electric car in the category of today's VW Polo. A series version, however, is not to be presented until 2025 and will then have a range of 450 km at an entry price of "under €25,000".
The competitors from Rüsselsheim also showed two very interesting studies: Firstly, the Opel Rocks e-xtreme, a spectacular design study based on the Rocks-e, an LEV of the L6e class. Although the current version is not road legal, it shows that microcars can also be fun!
On the other hand, the Opel Experimental gave a still very visionary view of the future of the brand. Will one of the two studies make it into reality?
Let's go abroad, first to France. Next to the new Scenic e-Tech, Renault shows the study of the Rafale, an SUV coupé that is supposed to stand for the future design language of the brand. We are curious.
Also strongly represented were the many new suppliers from the Far East, above all from China. BYD's appearance was particularly noteworthy. With the two models Seal and Seal U, no concept studies were presented, but vehicles suitable for everyday use, which we will certainly see more often.
Other exciting innovations were presented by MG with the Cybster convertible, Lucid with the Air and Rimac with the Nevera as well as AVATR.
Finally, a look back to Germany:
Apart from the "show cars" mentioned at the beginning, there were definitely other novelties. For example, Mercedes presented - unfortunately in an oversized and not very sustainable CUBE - only one vehicle: the CLA Concept. The future compact class from Stuttgart is supposed to have a range of up to 750 km with a consumption of only 12 kWh - that would be real progress!
AUDI also showed the new Q6 e-tron, which - after overcoming in-house IT problems - is now due to be launched on the market in 2024.
BMW also showed the i5, which has already been presented and is to be launched on the market at the beginning of 2024. With a range of around 500 km, it will certainly find its place in the commercial sector of company cars.
Further highlights of the IAA MOBILITY 2023
From our point of view, the light electric vehicles (LEV) presented were particularly pleasing, most of which can already be driven with a moped driving licence AM from the age of 16. In addition to the well-known Opel Rocks-e and the Microlino, the BIRÓ, which has been produced by Estrima in Italy for more than 10 years, deserves mention. 45 km/h and a range of about 100 km are perfect for everyday life in our cities. The removable battery can be recharged anywhere at normal sockets in about 5 hours.
A novelty, however, is the Italian-Asian co-production of XEV, the Yoyo Pro, which we were able to test drive right away. Licensed in the L7e class, the Yoyo has a top speed of 90 km/h and a range of up to 150 km. Visually similar to the original Smart, the innovative battery exchange system with 3 batteries for 10.4 kWh behind the tailgate is particularly surprising. These can either be simply "swapped" or charged in the car using a Type 2 plug.
PS: Disappointing (and probably more of a "fig leaf") were the Startup Areas in the exhibition halls. Instead of being bundled and thematically sorted, they were spread over several halls and showed a hodgepodge of different startups. This can be done better and gives the innovative startups a real chance.
