comparison
Between the worlds
Audi Green Tech Festival
© press-inform – the press office
Car manufacturers have long wanted to be mobility providers for a dynamic future. This is where an innovation event like the Greentech Festival comes in handy. But anyone who sees the appearances of the various car manufacturers in Berlin-Tegel misses the focus. At the same time, most car brands preferred to take the big stage at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
At least in the tech scene, the Greentech Festival is now on many lips. Former Formula 1 champion Nico Rosberg launched the event with Marco Voigt and Sven Krüger years ago. Not a trade fair in the classic sense, but a participatory event with almost 200 exhibitors from 20 countries, which is all about a clean future. No wonder car manufacturers were not long in coming to present themselves on such an innovative tech platform. Anyone who looks at the most recent event in Berlin does not doubt the seriousness of the exhibitors there; must admit, however, that most car companies prefer to present themselves to a much broader public at the same time as the motorsport event of the Festival of Speed in Goodwood / Chichester. On the one hand, Rosberg and company called to save the world – on the other hand, Lord March gathered fans of historic and new cars to celebrate a scene fighting for its survival. The simultaneous approaches could hardly be more different.
The Festival of Speed in southern England has been one of the most prestigious motoring events on the old continent for many years. In the meantime, this even ranks ahead of the mostly bloodless auto shows – even replacing them for many premium manufacturers. You know each other, you celebrate each other – that’s the Festival of Speed in the elite castle park of Goodwood. Here Porsche unveiled its new long-distance sports car 963 in proper style, BMW pulled the cloth from the magnificent M3 Touring and brands such as Mercedes or the noble Hyundai offshoot Genesis also had their big appearance. As a dubious highlight, some of the cars thunder up the Hill Climb – a 1.16 mile hill climb course which since its inception in June 1993 has been more of a mobile showcase than a real racing event. The origins of the Festival of Speed go back to a hill climb organized by the 9th Duke of Richmond, Freddie March, in 1936 for the Lancia Car Club.
This year Mercedes let its hyper sports car AMG One jet up the hill climb, BMW drifted new M3 models, Ford impressed with the 2,000 hp electric transit, Genesis showed its electric GV70, Porsche let its hybrid hopeful 963 off the leash and that Despite the changing weather, the audience was once again completely enthusiastic. Polestar, Volvo’s electric offshoot, also relied entirely on the Greentech Festival last year. This time, however, the Chinese Swedes unleashed their new Polestar 5, an 884 hp electric sedan designed to chase Tesla Model S, Audi E-Tron or Porsche Taycan at the Festival of Speed.
While people were amazed and picnicked in Goodwood Park, things were more visionary at the old Tegel Airport in Berlin. In panels, podium discussions and group events, the car only plays a secondary role, because the main focus is on environmental protection. But it is precisely here that some car manufacturers want to position and present themselves centrally. “The direct dialogue with various, also critical, stakeholders is very important to us,” emphasizes Silja Pieh, Head of Corporate Strategy at Audi. “Exchanging knowledge and seeing which innovative sustainability concepts others have is an enrichment for us.” Audi tends to present in Tegel its electric fleet on the side, but lets you look behind its material cycles, shows in-house charging parks and CO2-neutral material cycles. The situation is very similar at Skoda, which also focuses less on the in-house vehicles themselves and more on sustainability concepts from the procurement area. “As a car manufacturer, we are aware of our special responsibility for the climate and the environment and know the changing demands and expectations of our customers,” says Skoda Board Member for Purchasing Karsten Schnake. “The Greentech Festival is exactly the right platform to scout promising innovations and for the long term to pave the way for viable partnerships.” For similar reasons, brands like MAN, Mini or the motorcycle manufacturers eRockit or BMW Motorrad were at the start in Tegel.
While the Hyundai Group with its luxury brand Genesis is presenting its electric models in the right light under the eyes of Lord March in Goodwood, 1,200 kilometers away, the core brand Hyundai in Berlin is taking a more down-to-earth approach. In the federal capital, the focus is on sustainable mobility, alternative drives and sticking to individual mobility – there are hardly any differences between the two events. Spot gets more space than the multiple award-winning Hyundai Ioniq 5 electric car. The four-legged, dog-sized robot was jointly developed by Hyundai and Boston Dynamics to be used as a maintenance and control robot in hard-to-reach locations.