Troubled German IAA auto show opens under climate, Covid cloud

Auto highlight: A file picture showing the IAA in 2019. The biennial event has reinvented itself as a ‘mobility fair’ with a spotlight on electric cars, scooters and even bicycles. — AFP

Munich: Germany’s revamped IAA auto show, one of the world’s largest, opens here tomorrow for a celebration of all things car-related, but climate concerns and pandemic woes threaten to spoil the party.

After a disappointing edition in 2019, marred by environmental protests, poor visitor numbers and no-shows from major automakers, the biennial event has reinvented itself as a “mobility fair” with a spotlight on electric cars, scooters and even bicycles.