Frankfurt motor show axed

For the first time in 70 years, Germany’s International Automobile Exhibition (IAA) won’t be held in Frankfurt from 2021.

Instead, Europe’s biggest biennial motor show, which alternates each year with the Paris motor show, will be held in either Berlin, Hamburg or Munich.

Germany’s automotive industry association, VDA, this week confirmed the three cities have been shortlisted for the next IAA to be held in September 2021, ahead of an announcement in coming weeks.

The VDA said seven German cities last week presented their concepts for a new format of IAA, including Frankfurt, Berlin, Hamburg, Hanover, Cologne, Munich and Stuttgart.

“These presentations were then evaluated extensively,” said the VDA. “Each city's ideas are very creative and consistently demanding. They underline that each of the seven cities has its own profile and strengths. It's a very tight race, the performance consistently high.

“In today's meeting, the VDA board dealt intensively with the various concepts and ideas and made the decision that further talks should be held with the cities of Berlin, Hamburg and Munich and that specific contract negotiations should also be started.

“A decision on the city in which the IAA will take place from 2021 is expected in the next few weeks.”

The VDA’s IAA contract with the Frankfurt trade fair company ended last year. It indicated last October, shortly after the 2019 Frankfurt show, that the next IAA wouldn’t be held in Germany’s financial capital due to falling attendance numbers.

Last year’s Frankfurt show, which was not attended by a number of key car-makers including Ferrari, attracted just 560,000 visitors – 30 per cent less than the 2017 event – and was targeted by environmental activist protests.

“The ideas and concepts of the city of Frankfurt am Main were also very impressive,” said the VDA this week. “However, after evaluating all relevant criteria, the IAA 2021 will no longer take place at the Frankfurt am Main trade fair location.

“This decision was not an easy one for the VDA board of directors: the main metropolis was the city of the IAA for almost 70 years; internationally, this became clear from the frequently used term 'Frankfurt Motor Show'.

“The VDA thanks the city of Frankfurt and Messe Frankfurt for this long, very good and trusting partnership.”

Frankfurt isn’t the only motor show to be axed in recent years. Australia has not hosted nd international motor show in either Melbourne or Sydney since 2012.

The next international motor show will be in Geneva (in March), followed by followed by New York and Beijing (April), Detroit (June) and Paris (October), where organisers have also promised a “radically different event”.

The VDA previously announced this year’s IAA commercial vehicles show will be held in Hanover from September 24.