International Motor Show Germany

History

In 1897 the first IAA was held at the Hotel Bristol in Berlin, with a total of eight motor vehicles on display. As the automobile became more known and accepted, the IAA became a fixed event in Germany, with at least one held every year, usually in Berlin. From 1905-1907, there were two per year, as the production had increased to an industrial level. In the next years the show was suspended due to the ongoing World War I, and was then reinstated in 1921 with 67 automobile manufacturers displaying 90 vehicles under the motto "comfort".

Despite the still perceptible after-effects of the global recession, the 22nd IAA was held in Berlin in 1931, with a total of 295,000 visitors. For the first time the exhibition included front-wheel drive vehicles. In 1939 the 29th installation of the event gathered a total of 825,000 visitors - an all-time record at that time. The new Volkswagen was presented for the first time, which later came to be known as the Beetle. This was the last IAA before it was again suspended during World War II. From 1947-1949, Germany’s automobile and accessories manufacturers took part in the export trade fair in Hanover. The automobile industry’s hall acted like a magnet on the public, with a great number of visitors coming to the show. In 1951 the show was held on the Messe Frankfurt for the first time. The event, which was held in April, attracted a total of 570,000 visitors, with exhibits including the first HGV to have a turbo diesel engine. Just six months later, in September 1951, a second exhibition in Berlin was held, gathering 290,000 visitors. From then on, the German automobile industry bade farewell to its traditional exhibition site in Berlin and relocated the motor show completely to Frankfurt. The IAA was also rescheduled to only take place every other year.

In 1989 the last IAA to feature both passenger cars and commercial vehicles in one show confirmed that the exhibition site in Frankfurt was now too small for this major event. Almost 2,000 exhibitors squeezed onto an exhibition site measuring 252,000 square metres. More than 1.2 million visitors attended the event. Because of the high demand, it was no longer possible to meet exhibitors’ requirements for adequate exhibition stands. In view of this, the VDA decided to split the IAA from now on, with a focus on passenger vehicles in odd years, and a focus on commercial vehicles in even years. The first IAA focused solely on "passenger cars", held in 1991, was a huge success. A total of 1,271 exhibitors from 43 countries displayed their new products and innovations. With more than 935,000 visitors, the IAA Passenger Cars was extremely well attended. In 1992 the first IAA "commercial vehicles" took place in Hanover, Germany. It saw 1,284 exhibitors from 29 countries and gathered 287,000 people, 66 per cent being trade visitors.

In 2001 the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York cast a shadow over the IAA in Frankfurt. The exhibition went ahead all the same. As a mark of solidarity with the victims and their dependants, all show elements and loud music as well as the official opening ceremony with the Federal Chancellor were cancelled. VDA President Gottschalk explained this decision: “Because we could not permit terrorist forces to take away our freedom of action. And because, as a key international sector, we have a responsibility not to allow things to grind to a halt.” In an impressive manner, the general public confirmed that this indeed was the right decision to take: More than 800,000 people visited this “quiet IAA”.

During the Great Recession, in 2009, the IAA Cars proved to be a magnet for visitors. Around 850,000 people visited the IAA, which greatly exceeded the target of 750,000. This IAA, which took place under the headline “A Moving Experience“, showed where the mobility of tomorrow is heading. A huge number of options were presented at the IAA, ranging from the mild hybrid and the plug-in hybrid to the all-electric car, fuel cells and hydrogen power.

In 2011 the 63rd IAA featured the all-new “Hall of Electric Mobility”, a first-timer to all Motor Shows worldwide. Additional IAA-premieres included the Electric Mobility Conference as well as the CarIT Conference dealing with the issue of connected driving.

1979

The 1979 Show occurred in a tough year for the automobile industry, with a focus on decreased speed limits and conserving energy, with most of Western Europe on the brink of a severe recession. It also occurred at a time when car design was changing substantially, with hatchbacks and front-wheel drive becoming increasingly popularity, as well as demand increasing for smaller "supermini" cars.

The following introductions were scheduled for the 1979 show:

1983

1983 was, in most of Western Europe, a year of recovery in the new car market, as the economy recovered from the recent recession. Many important new cars were launched at Frankfurt and elsewhere during 1983. Those launched elsewhere include the Austin Maestro, Fiat Uno, Nissan Micra, Peugeot 205 and Renault 11. The Opel Corsa (launched in Spain in September 1982) was also imported to the UK from April 1983, where it was sold as the Vauxhall Nova.

The following major introductions were made at the 1983 show:

1985

The following major introductions were made at the 1985 show:

1987

The following major introductions were made at the 1987 show:

1989

The following major introductions were made at the 1989 show:

1995

The 1995 show ran from September 14 to September 24.

1997

The 1997 show ran from September 11 to September 21.

1999

The 1999 show opened on September 16, and had nearly 1,200 exhibitors from 44 countries.

2001

The 2001 show opened to international media on September 11, with a series of concept and production vehicle debuts kicking off in the early morning.

2003

For the first time, the passenger car-only exhibition in Frankfurt broke the barrier of one million visitors. It featured 2,000 exhibitors from 42 countries.

2005

The exhibition focused strongly on future solutions such as hybrid, hydrogen, flex-fuel and SCR technologies for reducing NOx emissions. There were around 940,000 visitors to the 2005 show.

2007

The 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show's key theme was sustainable mobility.

The following major introductions were presented at the 2007 show:

Hybrids

European automakers demonstrated a new interest in hybrid and electric vehicles at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show. For example, Mercedes-Benz arrived at the show with seven hybrids, including a luxury sedan concept vehicle called the F 700, a 17-foot (5.2 m)-long car that achieves a fuel economy of 44.4 miles per gallon (mpg). The research vehicle features a homogenous charge compression ignition engine, a technology that produces the high fuel economy of a diesel engine from a clean-burning gasoline engine. Mercedes has also mated its clean-diesel engine to an electric motor, creating the Bluetec hybrid. The company plans to introduce a gasoline-fueled hybrid SUV and sedan in 2009, followed by two Bluetec hybrids in 2010, one of which will achieve 51 miles per gallon of diesel fuel. In addition, the Mercedes Car Group exhibited its smart car in three new incarnations: an electric-only vehicle and both diesel and gasoline versions with "micro hybrid drive", a belt-driven starter and alternator that allows the engine to shut off at stops. See the DaimlerChrysler press releases about the auto show and the F700.

Opel, a subsidiary of General Motors, unveiled the Flextreme, a plug-in hybrid that can travel 34 miles (55 km) on its lithium-ion battery before a small diesel engine starts charging the battery. Opel also unveiled the Corsa Hybrid, a coupe that combines a belt-driven starter and alternator with a lithium-ion battery.

Volvo Cars, a division of Ford Motor Company, exhibited a plug-in hybrid with motors in each of the wheels. The Volvo ReCharge can travel about 60 miles (97 km) on battery power alone, using a lithium-polymer battery pack that can be recharged in a standard outlet.

The Citroën C-Cactus regular diesel-electric hybrid vehicle debuted at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show.

2009

The theme of the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show can best be summed up in one word: "electrification" Virtually every manufacturer has unveiled a vehicle using the latest battery technology,

The following major introductions were presented at the 2009 show:

2011

The 2011 show was held from September 13 to September 25. The 64th edition of the show included 1,012 exhibitors from 32 countries and was attended by more than 928,000 visitors from 105 countries, 36% of them being trade visitors, among those 80% from the automotive industry, plus more than 12'000 accredited journalists from 98 countries. 183 world premieres were unveiled.

2013

The 2013 show took place from September 10, 2013 to September 22, 2013.

Nissan introduced a "smart watch" that measures the user's heart rate, temperature and other biometrics. It is also able to keep a watch on car data like fuel efficiency and average speed. It was developed by Nissan's Nismo laboratory. They currently capture live biometric and telematics data from Nissan racing cars and their drivers.

2015

The 2015 show took place from 17 September 2015 to 27 September 2015

Concept cars