Wissmann: IAA is attracting more and more interest

FRANKFURT AM MAIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The 63rd IAA Cars is attracting more and more interest. Reversing an earlier decision not to take part, Chevrolet will now be joining us at what is the world’s most important mobility show. “We are very pleased that Chevrolet has made this strategic decision, which will act as a beacon for this, the world’s most important mobility show,” stressed Matthias Wissmann, President of the Verband der Automobilindustrie (German Association of the Automotive Industry). He said the corporation would be presenting its vehicles on the IAA’s open air area and would also be providing vehicles for the test drives organized by the VDA and the off-road course. “We are glad to be able to participate in the world’s most important show for automotive mobility. This show will inspire private customers, in particular,” emphasized Jürgen Keller, General Manager of Chevrolet Deutschland. According to Mr Keller, the “very positive way in which business developed in the first six months of this year”, as well as the outlook for the second six months, contributed to the corporation’s decision.

A total of 700 exhibitors, including more than 60 automakers from all over the globe, will be presenting world premieres at the 63rd IAA Cars from 17 to 27 September 2009. The event will occupy a total area of 170,000 square meters.

Wissmann stated: “Here we will find answers to the demands of today and the challenges of tomorrow. Therefore, the companies tackling this competition in innovation are especially well represented this year. It is precisely because of the latest in the German and Western European markets that we are more than ever convinced that the IAA 2009 is being held in the right place at the right time. A ‘groundswell’ can be detected in the markets. By the time the IAA is launched in September, we expect it will be clear for all to see when the crisis will either bottom out or when the worst will be behind us. What’s more, the German automotive industry’s new products are showing us how future growth can be achieved.”

This IAA will be officially opened by German Chancellor Merkel on September 17. It will present an impressive array of innovations, the VDA President continued. The IAA will showcase the continuing optimization of classical powertrains – clean diesels and supercharged gasoline engines with direct injection – and also progress in vehicle electrification, ranging from the mild hybrid to the passenger car with pure electric propulsion. Alongside the consistent reduction of consumption (and therefore CO₂ emissions, too), the focus will be on new types of driver assistance systems that make driving even safer and more comfortable.

With the slogan, “A Moving Experience”, visitors to the 63rd IAA Cars will be able to see the latest models and experience what is driving our automotive future – and to do so they will only need to pay the last century’s admission charges: Tickets for IAA Cars have stayed at the same low level for more than a decade. As long ago as 2007, the VDA – as the organizer of the IAA – was quick to remove the VAT increase that took place at the time from the admission charge calculation; for the 63rd IAA Cars, admission charges for the public will once again be “frozen”. To make the world’s leading mobility show affordable for the optimum number of interested guests, it will once again be possible to obtain concessionary tickets this year.

Whereas a regular day-ticket during the IAA public days (19 to 27 September) will cost 13 Euro, on both weekends of the IAA, tickets will be 15 Euro. Visitors who only want a quick glimpse into the future of the automotive industry can buy a reduced afternoon/evening ticket. It will be valid during the second week of the IAA, i.e. from Monday 09.21 to Friday, 09.25, from 3 p.m. onwards, and can be bought for 8 Euro at the box office.

Special discounts are also available for school-age children, trainees, college students, and young men doing their military or civil service: They pay 7.50 Euro for a day-ticket on all IAA public days and can also obtain an afternoon/evening ticket for just 4.50 Euro. Children under six and individuals with disabilities designated level “B” on their identity cards can attend the IAA for free. Handicapped people who require assistance will be admitted with their accompanying person free of charge. The same applies to people in wheelchairs and those who accompany them. Individuals who attend the IAA for business purposes can take advantage of the trade days on 17 and 18 September 2009. A ticket for each day will cost 45 Euro. The exhibition center will be open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on all public and trade days.

Tickets can be purchased at the box offices at the Frankfurt exhibition center, and advance bookings are now available on the same terms. The fastest way to obtain tickets is to go to www.iaa.de, where tickets can be purchased and printed from one’s own computer. Payment can be made either by credit card or bank debit (from German accounts only). Information on the IAA is updated daily on the event website www.iaa.de.

For accredited journalists, the two press days have been arranged for just before the show, on 15 and 16 September; on the press days, more than 70 press conferences will be given by the exhibitors. Accreditation has been active since the beginning of the month, and the response from journalists worldwide has been intense. The fastest way to obtain a press card is to be accredited via the Internet. The links to the online accreditation scheme can be found both on the IAA website, www.iaa.de, in the press area, and on the homepage of the website of the IAA organizer, the VDA (www.vda.de). An accreditation form can also be requested by Email from media@vda.de.

In order to be accredited you must be a full-time journalist and representatives of the German media will require a valid press identity card issued by one of the five media associations, the DJV, dju in ver.di, BDZV, VDZ and VDS. If preferred, the relevant documents can be posted to you if you apply for them in good time. The deadline for applying for accreditation by this means is 28 August 2009 for other countries and Italy, 4 September 2009 for Europe and 9 September 2009 for Germany. If applications are received by the IAA accreditation office after these dates, the IAA press cards will have to be collected from the exhibition center.

As early as Monday, 14 September 2009, between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m., the accreditation counters will be open in the CMF, West Entrance, City Entrance, Gallery and Gatehouse. On both press days, 15 and 16 September, the accreditation counters will be open from 7.30 a.m. to 7 p.m. The accreditation center will be located at the new West Entrance for the first time this year.

Further information and an overview of the 70 plus press conferences that have now been arranged by the exhibitors can be found at www.iaa.de (Press Area).

The original source-language text of this announcement is the official, authoritative version. Translations are provided as an accommodation only, and should be cross-referenced with the source-language text, which is the only version of the text intended to have legal effect.