IAA Mobility 2021: Startup Companies at Munich Motor Show

Focus on ADAS, EV, sustainability and cybersecurity

2021/10/15

Summary

IAA 2021 Venue
IAA Mobility 2021 Venue (Picture: MarkLines Europe GmbH)

  The IAA ("Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung") has a long history of 123 years. In the past 70 years it was held biannually in Frankfurt and grew to one of the largest motor shows worldwide. As the number of visitors decreased in the past years, the organizer, VDA (Association of the German Automotive Industry), decided to develop a completely new concept for the IAA in a new city, Munich.

  A reason for the decreasing number of visitors is the overall disruption within the whole automotive sector. Up to now the IAA was a rather traditional motor show, where OEMs and suppliers presented their latest products and technologies.

  From this year, the VDA wanted the IAA to become a mobility platform with focus not only on innovative new cars, but also on many other mobility solutions such as bikes, e-scooters and further intelligent public transport means. Accordingly, the theme of this year's event was "What will move us next". Thus, solutions towards a more sustainable world were at the center stage.

  From September 6th until September 12th (6th and 7th were dedicated to press and media) the city of Munich was the place where technology companies, mobility service providers, public transport and startups could meet and debate.

  The new IAA Mobility was held both at the exhibition grounds as well as directly in the city of Munich. The 'Summit' was the place where OEMs, suppliers, service providers and startups exhibited their latest products, technologies and concepts. On the second day, press members and trade visitors had the opportunity to participate in lectures on the future of mobility held by international decision-makers and opinion leaders of the industry. At several squares in Munich city, the so called 'Open Space', people had the opportunity to exchange ideas about mobility concepts of the future and to experience latest technologies. In the 'Blue Lane' visitors could enjoy test drives and rides between the city and the trade fair.

  The IAA 2021 hosted about 744 exhibitors and 936 speakers from 32 countries. The IAA attracted over 400,000 visitors from 95 countries - which are 160,000 less than in 2019. However, considering the shorter period of only one week compared to two weeks in 2019, the number is quite high. Two third of the visitors were under the age of 40.

  The next IAA MOBILITY will be held in Munich from September 5 to 10, 2023.

IAA 2021 Startup area
IAA Mobility 2021 Startup area (Picture: MarkLines Europe GmbH)

  The total number of startup companies present at this year's motor show was 76.

  They showcased their concepts and products in various mobility fields across the main exhibition halls alongside the automakers and suppliers. They presented innovations related to ADAS system and autonomous driving, alternative drives, sustainable materials and smart cities.

  In Hall 1b there was even a Startup Lounge, which was sponsored by Dassault Systems. Here startups had the opportunity to connect with decision-makers in the industry and at the Pitch Stage they could introduce themselves.

  In this report, we will take a closer look at some of these startups and their latest products and technologies.

  BMW promoted its "Startup Garage" at its booth, showing startup companies the way to enter the automotive industry.

  Among the startups, there were two companies that are developing small electric city cars: the Israeli startup City Transformer and the Swiss company Micro, which presented their Microlino.

  Also some already well-established startup companies, including Cognata and Innoviz, were still presenting their products and technologies in the startup area.

 


IAA Mobility 2021 reports:
IAA Mobility 2021: BMW and Polestar emphasize high performance and sustainability (Oct.2021)
IAA Mobility 2021: Battery, Charging, ADAS and Connected solutions (Oct.2021)
IAA Mobility 2021: VW and Ford reveal concepts and electric cars focusing on performance (Oct.2021)
IAA Mobility 2021: Focus on eMobility, Sustainability, Automated and Connected Driving (Sep.2021)
IAA Mobility 2021: Strengthening of Mercedes EQ series, moving from EV-first to EV-only plan (Sep.2021)
IAA Mobility 2021: Great Wall Motor launches ORA and WEY brand NEVs in EU (Sep. 2021)


Related reports:
Car HMI Europe 2021: Devices, Software and R&D Services for UX and V2X Strategy (Sep. 2021)
Hannover Messe 2021 Digital Edition: Industrial Transformation (May 2021)
WCX 2021: Development of automotive connectivity and autonomy (May 2021)
Cameras Taking a Step into Making the Unseen Visible (Apr. 2021)
CES 2021 Round-up: Industry Leaders Still Stood Out at Digital CES (Jan. 2021)
Trends in Onboard LiDAR Technology (Jan. 2021)

 

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