IAA MOBILITY 2025 Highlights
That was Day 3
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On the 3rd day, the Female Leadership Afternoon and the Circular Economy Afternoon took place. Keynotes were given by Roger Atkins and Brian Witten. An expert event focused on the future of vehicle software. In addition, the Hackathon, powered by prototype.club, was held, and DB Regio AG showcased the new XXL S-Bahn trains at Königsplatz, offering a preview of how the Munich S-Bahn will operate from 2028.
On the 3rd day, the Female Leadership Afternoon and the Circular Economy Afternoon took place. Keynotes were given by Roger Atkins and Brian Witten. An expert event focused on the future of vehicle software. In addition, the Hackathon, powered by prototype.club, was held, and DB Regio AG showcased the new XXL S-Bahn trains at Königsplatz, offering a preview of how the Munich S-Bahn will operate from 2028.
Day 3 featured a Female Leadership Afternoon and a Circular Economy Afternoon with key insights and discussions.
The third day of the IAA Conference was shaped by two afternoon events: the Female Leadership Afternoon and the Circular Economy Afternoon.
The Female Leadership Afternoon on the Summit Stage began with a discussion on diversity in leadership: Sandra Dax (CEO/COO Pininfarina Germany), Barbara Burghardt (SVP HR, BMW Group) and Anna Trunk (Head of Corporate Infrastructure and Services, Cariad) explored why more women in top positions is not only fair but strategically important, and how companies can achieve real diversity. This was followed by a session on how to attract and retain top talent – especially women – for the mobility industry in times of transformation. From new approaches in recruiting to shaping workplaces that retain and reactivate underrepresented talent, participants gained practical insights into how to build a strong and diverse workforce for today and the future. In a high-level fireside chat, VDA President Hildegard Müller and Christiane Benner, First Chair of IG Metall, discussed the transformation of Germany’s automotive industry and how companies and unions can shape this change together. They also addressed the political decisions needed now to ensure that Germany’s automotive sector remains competitive internationally. The program concluded with a “Women in Mobility” session featuring Ikbal Kröll, Expert Global Hydrogen Strategy at Daimler Truck AG, on fleet electrification, exchanging practical perspectives on charging infrastructure, energy supply, and the role of female leadership in the industry’s transformation.
The Circular Economy Afternoon opened with a keynote by Vojtech Vosecky, founder of The Circular Economist, who explained how the circular economy can redefine mobility for a truly sustainable and profitable future. He then joined a panel discussion with Asa Christiander (Head of Sustainability, Voi Technology), Jürgen Fröschl (Head of Product Sustainability, BMW), and Zac Qui (Senior Business Developer, Tozero) to examine what truly needs to happen to fundamentally transform mobility. Afterwards, Jennifer Kempf, President of MobilityScience™ at Dow, presented groundbreaking innovations by leading industry players such as JLR and Adient, showing how OEMs can improve their environmental performance. Jamie Trinh, Market Development Fusion at GSMA, followed with a keynote on the increasing convergence of automotive and connectivity. The Circular Economy Afternoon concluded with a discussion on how key stakeholders can collaborate to make circularity a driver of resilience, sustainability, and competitiveness for the mobility of tomorrow.
Further Highlights: Keynotes by Roger Atkins, Brian Witten, and an Expert Session on the Future of Vehicle Software
Roger Atkins, founder of Electric Vehicles Outlook, gave a keynote on the potential impact of bidirectional charging on the future of mobility and energy. Brian Witten, Vice President & Chief Product Security Officer at Aptiv, demonstrated how IoT, AI, and 5G can enable seamless, personalized experiences across industries and pave the way for a safer, more connected future of mobility. Enrico Salvatori, SVP and President of Qualcomm Europe, further explained how AI and cloud-based development platforms are accelerating the shift to software-defined vehicles, opening up new opportunities across the automotive ecosystem.
In another session, Magnus Östberg (CSO, Mercedes-Benz AG) and Jørgen Behrens (VP & GM, Google Maps Automotive) discussed how OEMs can use core technologies to create uniquely branded, AI-powered in-car experiences—from advanced navigation to ADAS features to intuitive AI applications—while retaining full design and brand sovereignty.
The session “Autonomous driving – technology, projects, and prospects” explored a variety of autonomous driving projects in San Francisco, Shanghai, Oslo, and Hamburg. Finally, the last session on the Main Stage on Day 3, titled “Chances and Risks in the Semiconductor Value Chain for Automotive,” examined current challenges as well as potential resilience strategies and opportunities through European initiatives, recycling, and new technologies to secure reliable supply chains for semiconductors and critical raw materials.
The IAA Summit hosted the Hackathon by prototype.club and much more
At the IAA Summit, the Networking Tours and Mobility Meetings continued, offering visitors the opportunity to take part in guided tours of selected exhibitor booths and gain curated insights from on-site experts.
On Day 3 of IAA MOBILITY, the Hackathon by prototype.club also took place. For one day, Hall B2 was transformed into a live stage for tech talent. The IAA MOBILITY Hackathon by prototype.club showcased several digital.auto hack challenges focused on real-world use cases in the area of Software-Defined Vehicles (SDV). Among the participants were Bosch, Mendix, OPMobility, Audi, Deloitte, Google Cloud, and many more.
Autobahn GmbH presented its ELISA project (electrified, innovative freight transport on highways), which has been working since 2017 on planning, permitting, and building Germany’s first eHighway infrastructure. The company also shared insights into the development of fast-charging infrastructure along the highways.
In the session “Safe, Fast, Innovative: Why the Future of Vehicle Software Is Open,” experts from the automotive industry offered insights into a new initiative for collaborative software development aimed at enabling faster product cycles, enhanced safety, and a better digital customer experience.
At the Volkswagen Group booth, CARIAD hosted the all-day Auto x Software Conference under the motto “Putting People First with Automotive Software.” Volkswagen Group CEO Oliver Blume, CARIAD CEO Peter Bosch, and other top executives joined technology and industry leaders such as Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon, Horizon Robotics CEO Kai Yu, and Florence Verzelen, Executive Vice President of Dassault Systèmes, to discuss the role of software and AI in customer experience, vehicle development, and value creation. The group also shared insights into its software strategy, modular and scalable software technology stack, and AI-driven key technologies such as infotainment, automated driving, and Software-Defined Vehicles. Additionally, the conference explored new approaches for driving innovation within large corporations.
The IAA Summit hosted the Hackathon by prototype.club and much more
At the IAA Summit, the Networking Tours and Mobility Meetings continued, offering visitors the opportunity to take part in guided tours of selected exhibitor booths and gain curated insights from on-site experts.
On Day 3 of IAA MOBILITY, the Hackathon by prototype.club also took place. For one day, Hall B2 was transformed into a live stage for tech talent. The IAA MOBILITY Hackathon by prototype.club showcased several digital.auto hack challenges focused on real-world use cases in the area of Software-Defined Vehicles (SDV). Among the participants were Bosch, Mendix, OPMobility, Audi, Deloitte, Google Cloud, and many more.
Autobahn GmbH presented its ELISA project (electrified, innovative freight transport on highways), which has been working since 2017 on planning, permitting, and building Germany’s first eHighway infrastructure. The company also shared insights into the development of fast-charging infrastructure along the highways.
In the session “Safe, Fast, Innovative: Why the Future of Vehicle Software Is Open,” experts from the automotive industry offered insights into a new initiative for collaborative software development aimed at enabling faster product cycles, enhanced safety, and a better digital customer experience.
At the Volkswagen Group booth, CARIAD hosted the all-day Auto x Software Conference under the motto “Putting People First with Automotive Software.” Volkswagen Group CEO Oliver Blume, CARIAD CEO Peter Bosch, and other top executives joined technology and industry leaders such as Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon, Horizon Robotics CEO Kai Yu, and Florence Verzelen, Executive Vice President of Dassault Systèmes, to discuss the role of software and AI in customer experience, vehicle development, and value creation. The group also shared insights into its software strategy, modular and scalable software technology stack, and AI-driven key technologies such as infotainment, automated driving, and Software-Defined Vehicles. Additionally, the conference explored new approaches for driving innovation within large corporations.
Entertainment and Infotainment Returned to the IAA Open Space
The third day of the event once again brought plenty of variety to downtown Munich. At Wittelsbacherplatz, Porsche invited visitors to join in the fun with “Little Explorer – The Porsche Quiz,” a playful trivia game. Over on Ludwigstraße at Family Trail Station 6, Bayern Innovativ hosted the “Time Travel Through Mobility – Hands-On and Interactive!” featuring immersive activity zones focused on both historical and future vehicles.
At midday at Marienplatz, the Citizens Lab presented “Kicking Without Borders – Mobility for All.” Tobias Schweinsteiger and Team Bananenflanke München e.V. demonstrated how soccer can connect people and promote social inclusion. Meanwhile, at Königsplatz, DB Regio AG showcased its new XXL S-Bahn trains and gave a preview of what the S-Bahn Munich will look like starting in 2028.
To close out the day, the band MYND PALACE delivered a musical highlight with a blend of indie rock, pop, and soul. And of course, the Festival of Lights Munich continued between 8:00 PM and 11:00 PM.
