MUNCHEN: GLAD IT'S BACK

After challenges in 2021, the Munich motor show returned this year with a revised format and some star debuts. James Attwood says it was a success - mostly

- James Attwood

This year's Munich motor show was something of a contradiction. It was at once dispiritingly flat and pleasingly vibrant; disappointingly light on reveals and packed with bold new metal; and left you both concerned and reassured about the future of such events.

That's because, like the car industry itself, motor shows are changing. And much like we're still coming to terms with where the twin paths of electrification and connectivity are leading cars, it's not entirely clear what form future motor shows will take. Everyone agrees they have to change, but nobody seems quite sure how. We're in the murky, mushy motor show middle and that was reflected in this year's IAA Mobility event.

This was the second time Germany's biennial show had been held in the Bavarian capital, after decades in Frankfurt - effectively neutral ground for the domestic car industry. The move for 2021 was designed to reinvigorate the event and came with a novel format revamp: there was a 'traditional' motor show at the Munich Messe exhibition centre - air-conditioned halls full of over-polished cars, bright lights and thumping dance music - but also an 'Open Space' in the city centre featuring public-facing stands with the chance for people to test the latest cars.

It was a format with promise but there were some challenges: not only did Covid-19 impact the exhibition centre events, but also manufacturers seemed split over which of the locations to show their new wares in. So for 2023, there was a notable shift. The event in the exhibition centre was styled as the 'Summit', taking on more of a trade show vibe with multiple speakers and stages. In turn, the stands in the convention centre - and the event itself-shrunk considerably.