IAA 2020
Vans, buses and trucks – commercial vehicles are a major part of our lives. Today we can choose from an extensive range of goods worldwide that are delivered right to our doors. This would not be possible without freight transport and logistics. And it is the commercial vehicles that cover that last mile. They carry over 70 percent of transported goods and therefore form the backbone of transport and the economy. They are also service providers and chauffeurs. They dispose of our waste, help us to move house, assist the rescue services, take our children to school and drive us to work. So commercial vehicles actually keep our everyday lives “on the go.”
The IAA Commercial Vehicles in 2020 will address the question of what the future of commercial vehicles will be like. The IAA takes place in Hannover and is the world’s leading trade show for transport, logistics and mobility. And in fact the whole commercial vehicle sector is on a path of innovation. As in many other branches of industry, the particularly important topics here are automation and connectivity, safety and security, environmental protection, electric mobility and new logistics and traffic concepts for the towns of the future. It offers a unique cross section of the entire value chain in the industry, from vehicles to transport and logistics, and from manufacturers to the many medium-sized suppliers.
A look back at the IAA Commercial Vehicle 2018
This year’s IAA has closed its doors after eight days open to visitors. The next IAA CV will take place in Hannover in September 2020.
Electric mobility, digitalization and urban logistics
The 67th IAA Commercial Vehicles, under the slogan “Driving tomorrow,” is fully living up to its aspiration of being the world’s most important trade fair for transport, logistics and mobility. The IAA shows that here an entire sector is anticipating change! The strategic orientation of the IAA, organized by the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA), is right on the button. On all exhibition days the focuses were the megatrends of electric mobility, digitization and urban logistics – at manufacturers of commercial vehicles and buses, in the trailer sector and at the many suppliers.
Premieres exceed the very high level
The total of 2,174 exhibitors from 48 countries has outstripped the already very high figure from 2016. There is also a new record of 282,000 square meters of exhibition space. And at 435, the world premieres exceed the very high level from 2016 by 31 percent! The number of visitors was also very high, despite the sometimes inclement weather: hot days at the beginning, and rain and storms on the weekend. Yet the response of attendees at the IAA was definitely positive. The mood was excellent everywhere – among the exhibitors and the visitors.
Electric trucks are coming
The central messages of this IAA: electric mobility is now appearing on the roads, and the models are going into series production! This applies above all to the e-vans, and increasingly also to urban buses. And the medium-duty distribution trucks are also being electrified. Many stands had e-cargo-bikes on display for the first time, which provide a smart, environmentally friendly and affordable solution to the question of the “last mile.” The innovation trend of digitization could also be experienced at the IAA, from producers of trucks and buses, to the trailer industry, all the way to the large, medium-sized and smaller suppliers and telematics providers.
Another difference from 2016 is that now the products are coming onto the market in large numbers. The IAA positioned itself again as the marketplace for the experts in the commercial vehicle sector. The proportion of trade visitors was well over 80 percent and many of them were decision-makers. In addition, more purchasing agreements have been concluded at this IAA Commercial Vehicles than at any other – business is booming in Hannover. One logistics company alone has bought 2,500 trucks from three manufacturers, and another 1,000 trailers.
Enthusiastic feedback at New Mobility World
The New Mobility World offered a platform where the automotive industry and new target groups such as technology firms, mobility providers, startups and digital businesses met with one another and with high-ranking representatives from politics, academia and society for controversial discussions of the future of mobility, to present innovations, and to make the mobility of tomorrow something that can be experienced.
The IAA also attracted a lot of online visits. There was much discussion of the IAA’s new developments and industry highlights in advance of the exhibition. In all, since the middle of August there have been over 75 million contacts worldwide, 60 million of them during the trade show itself. Half of the over 10,000 posts were written in English – which is more evidence of the international significance of the IAA. And more than 95 percent of posts and comments about the IAA are positive. The IAA istherefore a show that has established its regular place in the digital world!
After the IAA comes the IAA. One year from now, the 68th IAA Cars (Sept. 12 to 22, 2019) will open in Frankfurt am Main, and in 2020 exhibitors and visitors will meet again here in Hannover for the 68th IAA Commercial Vehicles (Sept. 24 to Oct. 1, 2020).