MUNICH: From weird and wonderful technological innovations in Chinese cars to the rush to transition to electric vehicles — and even a bike wash.
Following are some key takeaways from this week’s Munich auto fair IAA, one of the world’s biggest.
Movie-projecting Chinese cars
Automakers, particularly those from China, are going all out to meet consumer demands for cutting-edge technology in their vehicles.
HiPhi, for instance, has unveiled a car that can use its headlights to project movies on a wall and display symbols on the road. It can even communicate with pedestrians by showing emoticons on screens beneath its headlights, signaling when it’s safe to cross.
Additionally, it boasts an “assistant” equipped with a robotic arm that moves a screen towards the person speaking to it. While these innovations may initially appear as mere novelties, analysts believe they could serve practical purposes.
According to Andreas Nienhaus from consultancy Oliver Wyman, electric and autonomous vehicles, which are typically quiet, may benefit from displays to communicate with pedestrians.
Another Chinese automaker, Leapmotor, has introduced a virtual assistant with facial recognition technology, which can identify users and personalize settings such as seating position and lighting.
Bye bye, combustion engine
Surprisingly, there wasn’t a single petrol-powered car on display at the stands of major European manufacturers like BMW, Volkswagen, Renault, with Mercedes showcasing only a few plug-in hybrids.
This absence underscores the fervent push of European automakers towards environmentally friendly alternatives, even though electric vehicles still represent a small fraction of sales in the continent.
Among the European giants, Porsche was an exception, displaying a petrol-powered model, albeit in a secondary position on its stand.
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China takes centre stage
Chinese automakers made a prominent presence at the biennial IAA mobility show, accounting for 41 percent of exhibitors at the fair. Notably, BYD, China’s leading electric auto manufacturer, established a sizable presence in Munich, directly opposite Volkswagen, with a stand nearly matching the size of Europe’s leading carmaker.
BYD’s CEO, Michael Shu, expressed aspirations to capture between four and six percent of the German market within a few years, highlighting the competitive pricing of Chinese vehicles.
According to Dietmar Kepiro, a German visitor, the quality of Chinese cars, especially concerning on-board software, is highly impressive.
Bike wash
The Munich car show was not exclusively about automobiles. Dozens of cyclists flocked to a bicycle cleaning station equipped with water jets and rotating brushes.
This innovative setup could thoroughly clean bicycles in approximately 15 minutes, leaving them gleaming like new. The bike wash quickly gained popularity, with 120 to 130 bikes being cleaned in a single day.
“It was a rush,” said Christopher Stroebel, who was running the bike wash.
This initiative was part of the auto fair’s efforts to enhance its environmental credentials by promoting alternative forms of mobility.
Additionally, several stands offered test rides on bicycles, both electric and pedal-powered.
However, despite these initiatives, some environmental activists from Greenpeace protested at the show, calling for the automotive sector to take more substantial measures in combating global warming. —AFP/APP
