Pandemic, climate cast a shadow over IAA openingSEARCH FOR MOMENTUM: The auto show, relocated to Munich, comes amid a looming legal battle over when German automakers should phase out gasoline enginesAFP, MUNICH, GermanyGermany’s revamped IAA auto show, one of the world’s largest, is to open in Munich tomorrow for a celebration of all things vehicle-related, but climate concerns and COVID-19 pandemic woes threaten to spoil the party. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, center, talks to then-Volkswagen AG chairman Matthias Mueller, right, and other Volkswagen officials at the IAA auto show in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, on Sept. 14, 2017. Climate campaigners have vowed to disrupt the IAA by staging protests on Friday and Saturday, when the general public is invited. The plaintiffs want the German vehicle giants to stop producing diesel or gasoline engines by 2030, saying that their current pledges for electrification are vague and nonbinding. BMW plans to present a hydrogen-powered SUV, as well as its vision for a fully recyclable electric vehicle made entirely from recycled material and renewable resources.

Source: Taipei Times September 05, 2021 15:56 UTC