The German manufacturers showed at the IAA in Munich that they are still masters in building cars. They are also more than just empty promises that they want to make their vehicles more sustainable in the future. Still, you have to ask yourself whether that’s enough. Because saying goodbye to the combustion engine is no longer the biggest hurdle.
If you asked around the employees of German car companies at this trade fair, it sounded similar everywhere: At last you have a clear goal in mind again, you know where it’s going: everything on electric. But they are also proud of the fact that those who have been dealing with sustainability in the entire life cycle of a vehicle for years are now becoming visible. Finally, the focus is on the developer, who was already tinkering with electric car platforms when the manufacturers were still trying doggedly in public to save the diesel. Or the technician who is involved in “Fridays for Future” and at the same time develops sustainable interiors for a large German car manufacturer.
This change was also clearly visible at the trade fair, very different from what it was two years ago in Frankfurt. There were almost exclusively battery-only vehicles on the exhibition space, but not only that: There were not just some crazy design studies that do nothing to save the climate because they are not made for driving. But cars that visitors were able to test on site and that can also be bought. Of course, the manufacturers have to put up with the criticism that the choice of electric cars is still poor, especially when it comes to small or medium-sized cars. On the other hand, it is just as cheap to complain about electric SUVs, but fail to recognize that customers have preferred the VW Tiguan to the Polo for years.
There has to be fewer cars that stand around less often and are used to capacity
So there is progress in electromobility. The German carmakers simply sat out some high-wagered competitors. Two years ago at the IAA in Frankfurt, for example, there was Byton with a mega-hip electric car, the cockpit of which consisted of a huge screen. That was the Chinese competition that Daimler, BMW, Audi and Co. had to fear, it was said at the time. Chic, digital and, above all, not as sluggish as the German manufacturers. And now? Is Byton already broke in Germany. It is quite possible that none of these cars will ever hit the market. At this year’s IAA, at least in terms of large electric cars, there was nothing to be afraid of in Munich, Stuttgart or Ingolstadt.
Although the biggest competitor in the entire old car world was not available for a direct comparison this time either: Tesla still did not think it necessary to present itself at the IAA. The US automaker presented its new model in Germany just two weeks ago. A car show like this would of course have offered a good opportunity to show hundreds of thousands of visitors which cars Tesla will soon be building in Brandenburg.
But even if the best electric cars in the world were to come from German manufacturers in the future, that does not mean that all problems will be solved. Because the upheaval in the world of mobility will be far more profound: Just replace an internal combustion engine with an electric drive – that’s not all. There has to be fewer cars that stand around less often and are ideally used to full capacity. How can a car company continue to make money despite this necessary change? What could be seen and heard at the IAA does not give rise to hope that German companies will have the best answer.
Daimler and BMW want to withdraw to their core business for the time being, namely building cars. Only VW is apparently seriously considering how operating robotic taxis could also become good business. It is telling that Mobileye, Nio and Sixt want to have cars drive through Munich without drivers as early as next year, but neither a German car company nor a German supplier is involved in this astonishingly ambitious project.