IAA MOBILITY 2023

The press day on September 04

Before the official opening of the IAA MOBILITY in Munich, car manufacturers and suppliers presented their innovations at dozens of press conferences on Monday.

LG wants to transform cars into personalized, digital spaces

Loosely based on the theme of LG's press conference, "Taking Life's Good on the Road," LG CEO William Cho presented his vision of becoming a "Smart Life Solution Company" in which the car is more than just a means of transportation and the vehicle becomes a "digital, personalized retreat." This, according to LG, should have three main characteristics: "Transformable, Explorable and Relaxable." LG summarizes these keywords under the term "Alpha-able". On the one hand, the interior of a vehicle should be able to physically change to suit different situations or purposes. On the other hand, the car should understand the unique context of each trip, taking into account destination, trip duration, and other variables to provide a smarter ride with tailored content recommendations. To achieve this, LG wants to use connected services to help passengers relax. The basis for this is a flexible display landscape that can take on a wide range of functions and tasks - and adapt to the purpose at hand. The vision is to turn the car into a restaurant, office or movie theater on wheels, where the occupant can take a break or enjoy a beautiful virtual garden while listening to soothing music or receiving AI advice.

Volkswagen, Skoda and Cupra models are expected to charge in less than 20 minutes from 2025.

At its press conference, the Volkswagen Group announced plans to launch affordable electric cars with entry-level prices below €25,000. From 2025, the enhanced MEB+ platform is expected to offer ten percent more range and efficiency. Volkswagen, Skoda and Cupra models will be able to charge their batteries in less than 20 minutes, Volkswagen announced at the IAA MOBILITY show on Monday. The prerequisite for this is falling battery costs. However, Volkswagen said at the press conference that it is well positioned with a standard cell from the Volkswagen subsidiary PowerCo as well as innovations such as low-cost cell chemistry without cobalt and nickel. A day earlier, Volkswagen also unveiled the ID. GTI Concept. The production version of the vehicle, based on the modular e-drive system (MEB), is expected to hit the roads by 2027 at the latest. With an electric GTI, Volkswagen wants to sharpen its profile as an e-brand.

Continental to partner with Google on AI development

Automotive supplier Continental announced at its press conference that it will be working with Google on artificial intelligence (AI). "Continental wants to bring artificial intelligence into the vehicle cockpit. The goal of the new partnership is to integrate applications from Google Cloud directly into the vehicle's computer. The intelligent cockpit high-performance computer is expected to be ready for production in 18 months. The AI will perform several functions: For example, it will allow the driver to request information about tire pressure or points of interest by voice, rather than having to search the menu. The system will also answer questions about the car itself.

BYD unveils six e-limousines and SUV models.

Under the motto "We're building the green mobility dream together," Chinese automaker BYD presented six e-limousines and e-SUV models at its press conference at IAA MOBILITY, which were also on display at the Shanghai Motor Show. The highlight was the European premiere of the SEAL U, an SUV offshoot of the Seal e-sedan. The other models are the Dolphin, Atto 3, Han and Tang. In addition, BYD introduced the Denza D9 at the PK, a large premium sedan with seven seats. The proprietary cell-to-body technology used by SEAL to integrate the batteries was also shown. The lid of the battery compartment also serves as the floor of the body.

Leapmotor unveils C10 mid-size SUV

Chinese start-up Leapmotor has celebrated the world premiere of the Leapmotor C10 mid-size SUV at IAA MOBILITY 2023. It is said to feature extended range and all-electric powertrains, and will be available in both five- and six-seat variants. Positioned as a mid-size SUV, the C10 features a robust design language. It features a roof-mounted LiDAR system for advanced intelligent driver assistance features. Five models will be launched globally over the next two years, serving both left- and right-hand drive markets in Europe, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and the Americas.

Supplier CATL also plans to manufacture LFP batteries in Germany.

Chinese battery supplier CATL announced at its press conference that it will produce its new fast-charging battery in Germany and Hungary in addition to China. The battery will initially go into mass production in China from the end of 2023 and will be available in electric vehicles from 2024, CATL chief engineer Gao Pengfei said on Monday. He did not give a timeline for production in Europe. With the new lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery, EVs should be able to travel 400 kilometers on a ten-minute charge, the group said. A full charge would give a range of 700 kilometers. The new batteries are also said to be cheaper than previous energy storage systems based on nickel and cobalt.

Schaeffler will present a demonstrator of an electric and self-driving shuttle vehicle

From e-cargo bikes to electric flying, from electric motors to thermal management: Schaeffler is particularly broadly positioned in the field of electromobility. At the IAA MOBILITY 2023 in Munich, the company, together with the VDL Group, presented the world premiere of an electric and self-driving shuttle vehicle as well as new drive technologies, improved chassis technology and intelligent technical solutions for reducing friction. The electric minibus with up to nine seats will be launched in 2025, the two companies announced on Thursday.

Renault presents the Scenic E-Tech Electric

Renault CEO Luca de Meo unveiled the Scenic E-Tech Electric to the world for the first time. It complements the company's electric portfolio, which already includes the Megane E-Tech Electric, Twingo E-Tech Electric and ZOE E-Tech Electric. According to the manufacturer, the vehicle is the brand's first production model to embody Renault's sustainability strategy, which Renault unveiled in January 2021. The new Renault Scenic E-TECH Electric is the first production vehicle to incorporate the new sustainable development strategy, which includes environmental, safety and social aspects. The first pre-production models will be tested on the road from this summer.

CUPRA is presenting the CUPRA DarkRebel live to the world for the first time

So far, mobility enthusiasts have only been able to view the Cupra DarkRebel virtually. On Monday, CUPRA presented the show car for the first time live on stage at the IAA Open Space. The concept car tests design and performance ideas to the limit. For example, the DarkRebel uses the latest technologies from video game development. The digital model was first unveiled at the CUPRA Exponential Impulse event in Berlin in April.