New car show in munich the five most exciting eye-catchers at the IAA
Practical, inexpensive, crowd-pleasing: the microlino is a huggable ball with electric drive. next to it the millionfold sold micro-scooter.
the international motor show (iAA) in munich wants to rethink mobility. A tour of the show reveals five key findings – and a swiss company that rocks the halls.
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The cuddly ball returns: 2.4 meters long, two seats, fully electric. The car in Hall B is bright mint green.3, not far from the volkswagen exhibition. Visitors point to the mini-vehicle as they walk by, some even queue up for a seat tryout. The door of the microlino opens away from the front – like BMW’s isetta once did. And it is no coincidence that the car looks like the icon from the fifties. "the design is based on the isetta," says oliver ouboter, son of the company’s founder and responsible for the car’s production.
The swiss company microlino has hit a nerve – and not just at the international motor show (IAA) in munich. The vehicle also seems to be well received by end consumers. 24.000 advance orders have been received by the company – "without any outside capital," says ouboter. The car travels up to 90 kilometers per hour, weighs just 435 kilograms and has a range of 125 kilometers. purchase price: from 12.500 euros. For a few thousand euros more, the model is available with a range of 200 kilometers.
The microlino is a swiss success story – and combines several trends of the IAA in one: practical, inexpensive, crowd-pleasing. The IAA wants to change. Some things it succeeds in, others rather not. But the IAA shows one thing in particular: if you want to be at the forefront of the future of mobility, you have to change. Many companies have started the transformation – and are changing. The five most exciting insights from the IAA.
IAA 2021 munich the comeback of autoland
1. Smart and affordable is the new cool
The microlino is built in turin, italy. the swiss family-owned company is in itself an expert in micro-mobility: founder wim ouboter once developed the micro-scooter, an electric pedal scooter that, when folded, should fit in any smart car. The company has sold more than 90 million of them – and has thus laid the financial foundation for expansion. Now his two sons want to prove that they can also develop the right car for the scooter themselves. in 2015, they launched the microlino project and, with a pre-model at the geneva salon, realized that the interest was there. Now they are putting the car into series production. It will be launched in Switzerland at the end of the year and in Germany in the spring of 2022. The car is plain, simple, no frills.
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Affordable electromobility is a key trend at the IAA. volkswagen also starts with a concept study that has attracted attention. The ID.Life will be available as a four-seater and with a base price of 20.000 to 25.000 euros – but not until 2025. Practical gadgets also dominate elsewhere at the IAA. XEV’s small cars offer battery replacement systems – instead of always having to charge the car directly. The idea is not new, but it could make a comeback.
Audi
the audi study grandsphere is not only very successful on the outside the luxury sedan also transfers the interior design convincingly and reasonably realistically into the robot car era – including a retractable steering wheel and wide-screen monitor. With a length of 5.35 meters, a similarly expansive width and 530 kW/721 hp, however, it is still bound by the old higher-faster-more-elegant motto, especially of the German automakers.
Mercedes
If you look hard enough, you’ll find that there are just under a dozen new cars that will be of interest to the ordinary consumer among the trade show visitors. Almost all of them run on battery power at least some of the time. For example, the mercedes EQE, the electric cousin of the e-class, can travel over 600 kilometers in this way and is expected to steal customers away from the tesla model S.
BMW
BMW is also setting its sights on the Californians, with the i4 electric offshoot joining its strong-selling 3 Series. At the same time, the ix should convince solvent X5 buyers of the benefits of e-mobility.
Renault
the electric megane is set to continue the success story of the zoe one and a half classes higher.
Kia
The kia sportage is also available as a plug-in hybrid.
Smart
Small car maker smart says goodbye to its agile city car in favor of a hefty compact SUV, the first study of which can now be seen.
Volkswagen
VW continues to be a strong driving force for the e-car and gives a glimpse of a future small car as well as the electric bulli – both are among the sympathy carriers at the show.
2. IT conquers the car market
Many observers consider IT companies from america and asia to be the biggest threat to german automotive groups: if software manufacturers write the program codes for the cars’ brains, then german carmakers will ultimately only be left with the task of pressing the associated bodywork. The fact is: software is a key component of the show – the IAA is becoming cebit for the road.
At the IAA, for example, supplier schaeffler has just announced an exclusive partnership with the U.S. company mobileeye. IT group develops autonomous driving systems to be used on various schaeffler platforms. Schaeffler builds the chassis for other carmakers – and integrates IT at the same time. Support for "autonomous driving up to 130 km/h," said automotive boss matthias zink at the presentation. "the segment is only just developing."it’s an enabling partnership.
Other companies are also taking advantage of IT from the U.S. and asia. The Californian IT company qualcomm, for example, is working with google to build the software for renault’s new electric car, the megane E-tech. Renault will use the snapdragon platform as its infotainment system – of course with preinstalled google apps such as maps and music.
So carmakers are actually losing value creation to the software houses? The opposite is also striking: german carmakers take up the fight. Right next to the volkswagen stand, the VW software subsidiary cariad presents itself on its own stage. That’s a real novelty at an auto show – and a clear signal to the IT groups in the U.S. and asia: the germans want to set the tone in IT.
Car builder it’s the software, stupid!
3. the new humility of the germans
Just two years ago, daimler presented itself in an entire hall at the IAA in frankfurt. Today, a fraction of the space is enough to display a good dozen cars. The cars are often so close together that visitors have trouble keeping from standing on each other’s feet. But apparently the new motto in stuttgart is: convince instead of show off. daimler remains a center of attraction. The Group’s new star: the EQE – the new electromobile e-class. In the past, the car would probably have been given a whole stage, but today it stands alongside other electric cars as a matter of course. Just under 300 hp, a range of more than 600 kilometers. The e-class used to be the natural friend of cab drivers. Today, it seems removed from its clientele: more luxurious, more refined, less of a workhorse. Joining the ranks of luxury electromobility cars. The EQS, an electric S-class, is next door. other concept cars from the same EQ series are presented. Only one diesel car squeezes in suspiciously: the C-class 220 d4matic with 200 hp and an R4 cylinder arrangement – like a relic of earlier times.