The Future of Mobility

In early September, Munich became the epicenter of future mobility—the industry showcased  over 300 world premieres and a wealth of innovations. IAA Mobility 2023 was more multifaceted than ever before, with the transformation of the automotive industry taking center stage.

Climate change, sustainability and e-mobility dominated the conversation at numerous conferences and events that took place in Open Spaces in the City and the Summit at Messe München trade show. Munich was gripped in a mobility fever, the pulsing atmosphere tangible to everyone—from the most beautiful public places to every corner of the city center. Whether in the Residenzhöfe where the big star @Mercedes shone, or at the Opernplatz where the New @MINI-Family presented itself cheekily and the @BMW logo was enthroned, or at the Wittelsbacher Platz @Porsche and the four rings @Audi made a spectacular appearance.

Current and future mobility ideas were on display and visitors were given the opportunity to engage with and interact with the concepts. For those looking for conventional driving systems, they were in the wrong place. In fact, the question quickly arose as to whether engines with fossil fuels were even still on display. Not at IAA Mobility. Here, we drive electrically or with hydrogen.

Visitors were privy to enriching experiences about future-orientated topics and visionary concepts including: BMWGroup’s ‘On the way to new shores – Panoramic Vision, no more combustion engine by 2030 and 50 percent by 2025 through eMobility’ andGerman Engineering at the ZF Group, one of the deep tech giants from the automotive industry.

Top of the agenda were hybrid systems and communication of vehicle systems. Today, connecting and multi-flexibly retrieving information, whether unloading or transmitting, have become as versatile as our living environment itself. In the future, the vehicle will serve as the transmitter for all events, becoming a connecting system for everyday life. Economically and ecologically, it will mirror the future everyday life.

So who is behind these ideas and is it really the big car manufacturers? Where is the origin that will help shape our future mobility? This is where we leave the city center and head to the Messe München trade fair. There the German Mittelstand, mid-sized firms known to be the heart of Germany’s economy, like the @Kirchhoff Group, and other big automotive suppliers present themselves. Their concepts and innovation forged with German Engineering, are creating these technological possibilities.

In the future, AI will transmit even more data to each vehicle board computer. The vehicle will become a multimedia platform and transmit information tailored specifically to the user.  “Talking instead of typing” was also the motto at @Continental: as one of the world’s first, the automotive supplier integrates data and artificial intelligence-based technologies directly into the vehicle cockpit.

A sustainable, ecologically oriented “Green City” is not just Co2-reduced mobility by car, bus or electric vehicles. The logistical effort to transport our goods in B2B or B2C is expected to increase by another 50% in the next five years. This social challenge requires a rethinking of the individual transport systems. Here, too, Munich is in a pioneering position with the first logistics bike center. Freight bikes and bike courier services are already on the road, and we are beginning to see an end-to-end logistics chain emerging.

IAA Mobility 2023 was an enriching and rewarding experience, opening new horizons through lively conversations and engaging presentations—all helping to shape the future of mobility.

#AprilSixMobility #IAAMobility #Makingmomentsthatmatter

Michaela Gross
Managing Director, DACH
michaela.gross@aprilsix.com