Statement delivered by Bernhard Mattes, President of the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA), at the VDA’s initial IAA press conference on Monday, September 2, 2019, in Frankfurt am Main, CMF.
You are most welcome to our press conference in the run-up to the IAA. We have decided to hold the press conference a week earlier than we have done in previous years – for three reasons:
First, this IAA – and the social and political environment – are very different from previous events. Demonstrations have been planned to coincide with the IAA. We have offered to enter into dialog with these NGOs, and we wish to inform you about this.
Second, we have given the IAA a new and more comprehensive conceptual design. We want to explain it to you in more detail. And third, we wish to give you an opportunity to prepare for the IAA before it kicks off on September 9 with the first events. In addition, I will give you a brief overview of the markets in the light of the trade disputes.
IAA
We are approaching the IAA with confidence! At international level, the IAA is the most important event for the mobility of the future. The IAA is changing, as is the entire automotive industry. It is evolving from an exhibition into a comprehensive platform where all the relevant players in the field of sustainable, individual mobility will be present in greater variety this year – manufacturers, hi-tech companies, suppliers, mobility service providers, and startups. This sets the IAA apart from all other mobility events and motor shows.
The IAA’s leitmotiv is “Driving tomorrow” – we aspire to shape tomorrow!
The automotive industry is undergoing a huge process of transformation, which is characterized by three challenges:
- climate protection, CO2 targets, and alternative powertrains;
- digitization, connectivity, and automated driving – impacting on the entire traffic system;
- the automotive industry’s global orientation – in times of protectionism and trade disputes.
All these points both affect Germany as an industrial location (this is tangible for our OEMs and suppliers) and influence the social discourse.
Please click here to view the full press release.
SOURCE: VDA
