IAA: Consistent sustainable design

The "New Class" could represent the beginning of a design turnaround, because it is obvious that the mobility turnaround is not only leading to considerable technological upheavals in automobile manufacturing - the perception of the automobile is also changing.

The IAA 2023 in Munich impressively reflected the currently extremely dynamic developments in the automotive industry and the changing understanding of the aesthetics of mobility. Vehicles with combustion engines hardly played a role at the trade fair. The IAA provided a lot of input on the current possibilities in the field of electric drives and battery technology. It is difficult to understand why the German automotive industry has so far given the powerful and very compact electric motor from a well-known German supplier a wide berth in view of the strong Chinese competition. It is hard to understand why the German automotive industry has so far given the powerful and very compact electric motor from a well-known German supplier a wide berth, given the strong Chinese competition.

Even though electric mobility has revolutionary effects under the sheet metal of the vehicles, the design of most of the electric vehicles presented seems thoroughly modern, but also familiar and conventional in a certain way. The BMW "Vision New Class", which could be seen for the first time at the IAA, was a notable exception here. The lines are clearly drawn and tidy. In terms of design, the "New Class" follows on from the BMW i Vision Circular and the BMW i Vision Dee, with interesting innovations in the areas of exterior and interior design. In terms of surface technology, the perspective is changing. Should such design trends also become established at other manufacturers, this could have a major influence on all companies that supply surfaces in the interior and exterior areas in the automotive sector.