IAA 2021: Electric Vehicles ⭐, Engines ☠️
IAA 2021: Mercedes Battery Pack (left); Volkswagen ID.3 (Right) - image credit: Dr Cecile Pera
IAA is one of the most important European show in the Automotive Industry. After the cancellation of the 2020 edition and a very morose 2019 exhibition, 2021 is the Post-COVID restart of our Industry. What is clear: only Electric Vehicles are presented and if IC Engine may not be completely dead, it is at least not welcome in the communication of car manufacturers.
IAA: Organisation and General Impression
IAA is organised over a full week (6-12 Sept 2021) in Munich, Germany 🇩🇪. In the past, IAA was organised in Frankfurt and it is a brand new organisation in Munich with a show split in various location across the city:
The more professional part including presentation of concept cars and more technical details is mainly showcased in the main Exhibition Center. The Messe is open to the public but most of attendees are professional or car enthusiasts.
There is a complete Hall dedicated to micro-mobility and e-Bikes. Main Car manufacturers (OEMs) and major Tier One Suppliers (Schaffler, MAHLE, Faurecia, Magna, etc.) have large booth in main Halls of the Exhibition Center.
Start-up and smaller suppliers (Eatron Technology, Aeris Tech, BMTS, etc.) share some booth on a common open space. This part is more technical and does not attract the general public, only professionals from the Automotive Industry.
Away from the Exhibition Center, in the heart of the city center, several displays are organised by main OEMs (Porsche, AUDI, Mercedes, Volkswagen, etc.) and major Tier One Suppliers (VALEO, BOSCH, etc.). These Open Space Areas are free to enter and see a lot of people curious to discover more about the New Mobility.
Porsche IAA 2021 and eMotor by Schaffler - image credit: Dr Cecile Pera
All the German OEMs were present (VW, AUDI, Porsche, Mercedes, BMW) but only a few foreign brands joined: Renault, Hyundai, Ford. The group Stellantis (PSA, Opel, FIAT) was completely absent and other American (GM…) and Japanese (Toyota, NISSAN…) manufacturers were also missing.
None of the New Big Players in EV and Electric Technologies were in Munich (Lucid, RIVIAN…) and of course Tesla was missing (but they rarely showcase in any exhibition outside China.
It is worth noting that some Chinese OEMs were presenting their New Vehicles for the European market such as WEY, XEJ, Great Wall, etc.
The show was relatively busy but in my opinion less than the previous editions. IAA 2019 was pretty depressing and you could feel that the Industry was going through a difficult phase. This year, the mood is much better like a fresh restart after the Pandemic.
BUT what is clear is that Car Manufacturers present and push only for Electric Vehicles with absolutely no traditional IC Engines and nearly no Hybrids.
New Electric Vehicles Everywhere
In 2019, Hybrids were kings. This year, it is clear that all the OEMs push for only one thing: Electric Vehicles. Among all the New Vehicles presented and the concept cars showcased, none of them were traditional IC Engines. You still find some Hybrid Vehicles but they are nearly hidden in a corner.
A lot of car manufacturers have organised a presentation of their New or future EV for IAA. As usual, a lot of concept cars were presented, some of them preparing a near-future vehicle. For example, the Porsche Mission R should be the base of a New Porsche EV-racing with 2 Electric Motors (320 kW + 480 kW).
Porsche Mission R - image credit: Dr Cecile Pera
AUDI presented the Grandsphere Concept (one of the 3 new AUDI Concept cars). This concept vehicle aims at imagining the future AUDI A8 (expected around 2025). This very long sedan (5.35 m) prioritises the interior space with 2 large doors opening on opposite side to offer a large lounge.
AUDI Grandsphere Concept - image credit: Dr Cecile Pera
The Digital and Electric Experience
A lot of effort was dedicated by the OEMs to immerse the customers in a modern / technologic environment showing that the Automotive Industry is not a mechanical / metallic Industry anymore but rather all about electronic, infotainment, etc. making the association of EV = Electronic = Digital = Technology. This was clearly visible in the general atmosphere and the choice of neon colours at most booths. Car interiors offer very large screens and buttons for all kind of technology from a simple ID.3 to a premium Mercedes AMG
Interior of Mercedes AMG - image credit: Dr Cecile Pera
BOSCH Charging for EV - image credit: Dr Cecile Pera
Most OEMs and Tier One Suppliers present their own associated charging station. There is a big emphasis on education about what is an Electric car, how to recharge it, etc. I am not sure what the consumers understand about charging time but at least they are presented with a bunch of solutions from fast charging to home charging. Generally speaking “Electricity” is associated with Technology and modern featuring of some nice ambient colours usually green or blue but also all kind of neon colours.
EVs ⭐, Hybrids ↘️, Engines ☠️, Hydrogen 👻
Each OEM had its own Star(s) / Best sellers to promote: the Porsche Taycan, the Ford Mustang Mach-E GT, the AUDI e-tron GT etc. and of course all the Volkswagen ID.XX: the ID.3, the ID.4, the ID.5 GTX, etc.
The common point of all these Blockbusters is that all of them are pure Electric Vehicles. To my knowledge, the only car using a pure IC Engine on display was the Porsche 911 GT3 (4.0 L 6-cylinder)
IAA 2021: Ford Mustang Mach-E GT, Volkswagen ID. family and AUDI e-tron GT - image credit: Dr Cecile Pera
What about the Hybrids? In 2019, all OEMs were promoting Hybrid Vehicles (some Diesel, some gasoline) with very large SUV. Today, even if you still find some Hybrids, they are not trendy anymore and only EVs are now on the stage.
What about Internal Combustion Engines? They are simply COMPLETELY absent! The only few Engines that were on display were from Hybrid platforms but you can feel that they are not welcome anymore.
Dealing with Fuel Cells, only BMW was featuring a Hydrogen Vehicles. Nevertheless, at Tier One Suppliers, many Fuel Cells were presented (BOSCH, Schaeffler, EKPO, etc.)
Hybrid (including an IC Engine) platform at Renault - BMW Hydrogen Fuel Cell car - image credit: Dr Cecile Pera
China is coming to Europe
If the IAA was mainly dominated by the German OEMs and Suppliers, some Chinese car manufacturers were here such as WEY (with their 2 cars COFFEE 01 and COFFEE 02), XEV, Great Wall, etc. If these brands do not benefit from an established reputation in Europe, their design as well as their technology start to compete with the European brand today. We can highlight the new Plug-in-Hybrid platform COFFEE 01 from WEY offering an autonomy of 150 km which is among the record on the current market.
From the Supplier point of view, Chinese companies presented very impressive EV components among the best available on the market. In particular, the booth of HuaWei was presenting a full portfolio of e-Powertrain and Battery Management Systems. They are able to propose complete solutions for any scenario from low-cost vehicle (20 kW compact Powertrain) to large premium cars (270 kW 800C 4-wheel drive)
WEY COFFEE 01
BMS (Battery Management System) from HuaWei
