MUNICH (dpa-AFX) - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) is to open the IAA Mobility auto and transport show in Munich on Sept. 5. This was announced by the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) and Messe München on Wednesday. While trade visitors will meet at the exhibition center, the general public will be able to "experience and try out as much as possible" in the city center for six days, said VDA project manager Jan Heckmann. That would range from autonomously driving minibuses and car test drives on the autobahn to a test track for bicycles, cargo bikes and e-bikes in the English Garden.

The first Munich IAA two years ago had attracted more than 400,000 visitors despite Corona restrictions. "If you look at the roads, you can see that people like to drive," said VDA Managing Director Jürgen Mindel. He added that the IAA invites everyone to join in the discussion and also sees protests in a legitimate form as a matter of course. But "we should also be able to hold such events," Mindel said, referring to sticking, smearing and blocking actions.

At the exhibition center, automakers, suppliers, bicycle manufacturers, IT groups, electricity providers, urban planners, mass transit companies, mobility service providers and about 100 startups plan to present themselves in six colorful halls. "We want to show partnerships and establish contacts," said trade fair project manager Christine von Breitenbuch.

In addition to VW, BMW and Mercedes-Benz, Chinese automakers BYD, Hongqi and Leapmotor have also announced news at the IAA. Chinese battery company Catl, semiconductor company Qualcomm, Hamamatsu Photonics and the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft are also among the exhibitors. Talks are underway with Tesla, Mindel said. Deutsche Bahn CEO Richard Lutz is also expected to attend the conference.

Heckmann did not yet want to name exhibitor numbers, but the list is likely to grow. The major Korean carmaker Kia, for example, "joined in 2021 still in the summer." The willingness to register and commit well in advance is no longer as great, he said./rol/DP/mis