Munich will succeed Frankfurt as the big German auto show’s host city starting next year, according to the German Automakers Association (VDA). The VDA’s contract with the Frankfurt trade fair company ended last year, allowing the association the chance to change venues, and the association said in January that Frankfurt would no longer host the show after almost seven decades as the home of the biannual exhibition of the industry’s latest innovations.
Berlin, Hamburg and Munich were on the short list; Munich convinced the VDA’s board that its city centre and attractive locations close to downtown can be used to host events for the show, VDA President Hildegard Mueller said.
The show is also known by its German acronym IAA, for International Automobile Exhibition. It has been a crucial sales and marketing platform for automakers, but last September’s event saw a sharp drop in interest as major brands, including fan magnet Ferrari, decided to sit out and skip it. It was also the target by protests by environmental activists and visitor numbers fell by 30% to 560,000. The VDA envision IAA evolving from an automobile show to a mobility show. The next show is scheduled for September 2021.