Electromobility is in the limelight from the IAA. However, more than eight out of ten car buyers are currently opting for a vehicle that has a combustion engine on board.
Image: Anne Reibold
Electric cars are in the spotlight at the International Motor Show. Some technical progress can be seen, but this also applies to the almost invisible combustion engine.
Come, see, try it. Motor shows thrive on the attractiveness of the external form, and should the weather cooperate, it will be no different at the IAA stands in downtown Munich. If there is serious interest in buying, the drive plays a more important role than ever before, as it is no longer about horsepower and cylinders, but about the question of whether the personal system changeover to the electric age is now imminent. Of every 100 cars sold in Germany so far this year, 84 have had an internal combustion engine under the hood, and there is little reason to expect that ratio to reverse anytime soon.
The battery cars are at the front of the stage at the exhibition stands, but most of them do not have the latest technology on board, at least measured by the rapid progress that batteries and drives are currently making. Exceptions can be found among the German premium manufacturers.