IAA Mobility: A Very German, Very COVID Auto Show

Last week's IAA Mobility auto show in Munich was the first international auto show outside of China since the start of the pandemic a year and a half ago - when the Geneva Motor Show was the first such event to be cancelled. The event went off without a hitch in spite of protests and with an assist from Mother Nature in the form of fantastic weather.

Foreigners attending the event needed to show proof of vaccination or a negative PCR test to travel to Germany. This was a pretty modest requirement, though it did add an additional process of validation at the departing airport and at the event venue.

On the show floor mask wearing was prevalent, though some in-booth conversations between close-working colleagues or friends led to temporary mask removal. I was only admonished to "mask up" on one occasion, though I was quick to point out to the admonisher that I was eating a pretzel at the time.

Germans are, by and large, rule creators and followers and weeks before the event the government had put in place its "3G" COVID rules. From August 23rd, indoor public spaces in Germany would only be accessible to people who have been vaccinated (Geimpft), recovered from Covid-19 (Genesen) or who have had a recent negative test (Getestet).

(At my hotel I was instructed to put on the provided thin plastic gloves at the breakfast buffet. I was also reminded - by a bus driver - NOT to talk to the bus driver and - by the same bus driver - not to talk on my phone on the bus.)

The event organizers further provided an on-site testing facility for arriving attendees and foreigners needing a negative test result for travel. I did not observe a single moment of protest or conflct regaridng masks or other COVID-related protocols.

Aktion Autofrei protesters did manage to block freeways near the show on its opening day, but such action was anticipated as the event venue was protected by a sizable, visible, and well-armed police presence. Protests have become a mainstay of auto shows in Germany, though these protests appeared particularly tone deaf.

Aktion Autofrei's Twitter page describes its objectives as seeking greater accommodations for bicycles and free public transit instead of a conversion to "e-cars." While IAA Mobility loudly proclaimed the onset of electrification in the automotive industry, two halls dedicated to bicycles and e-bikes suggested at least some alignment with the protesters' objectives.

The fight for greater commitment to combatting climate change is being led in Germany by organizations similar to Aktion Autofrei - that have been resisting Germany's robust car culture. Past IAA events held in Frankfurt have featured cars being set on fire outside the venue.

It is odd that the home of the Autobahn and the Deutsche Bahn has also given birth to such virulent anti-automobile sentiments. Climate is the new cause and some climate warriors have taken to shaming airline passengers in Germany, for whom the Deutsche Bahn is the more socially acceptable choice. Ironically, when the IAA opened the Deutsche Bahn was on strike forcing attendees arriving from near and far to turn to privately owned or hired automobiles or local transit options.

The only comparable moment of COVID countermeasures resistance around the event was a PriceWaterhouseCoopers dinner I attended Sunday evening before the opening of IAA. Held at the Hotel Bayerishe Hof rooftop restaurant, once the 50 or so attendees had signed in their masks came off, as did mine. So far no casualties have resulted that I know of.

Multiple dinners in touristic restaurants in and around Munich revealed very low attendance - including a half empty Cafe Glockenspiel located directly across from the Glockenspiel on the Marienplatz. It's a good time to get a desirable table at a popular restaurant in Munich.

IAA was a modest success. Meetings were productive. Attendees were in good spirits. New product announcements were plentiful. Neither COVID-19 nor anti-car protesters could quell the enthusiasm of participants.

Multiple panel discussion participants noted the stimulation that both two-wheel mobility and private car ownership have received in the context of the pandemic. Unfortunately, the pandemic has also disrupted supply chains negatively impacting vehicle production and spiking prices upward. It may well take Aktion Autofrei's "ticketfrei" public transit to restore balance to transportation networks - as long as the transit workers don't strike.