Best of LinkedIn: IAA Mobility 2025

00:00:00: Brought to you by Thomas Allgaier and Frennus, this edition highlights key LinkedIn posts on IAA Mobility, twenty twenty five.

00:00:07: Frennus supports enterprises with market and competitive intelligence, decoding disruptive technologies, customer needs, regulatory change and competitive moves.

00:00:16: So product teams and strategy leaders don't just react but shape the future of mobility.

00:00:21: Welcome to the deep dive.

00:00:23: Our mission today, well, it's to cut through that huge mountain of information coming out of IAA Mobility, twenty twenty-five.

00:00:30: We spent time sifting through, you know, countless LinkedIn posts, research notes.

00:00:34: A lot of notes.

00:00:35: Exactly.

00:00:36: To bring you the really important insights, those aha moments, and the trends that actually matter if you're a professional working in the mobility industry.

00:00:43: Right.

00:00:44: Think of this as your shortcut to getting up to speed.

00:00:46: We're not just going to recite announcements.

00:00:48: We're connecting the dots, pulling together different perspectives.

00:00:51: And what really jumped out from all the talk around IAA mobility, twenty twenty five.

00:00:55: on LinkedIn.

00:00:55: It was a pretty clear roadmap for where the industry is heading.

00:00:59: A really strong emphasis on software defined vehicles, practical scalable energy solutions, and maybe a renewed focus on European innovation.

00:01:07: So we'll be hitting the top trends we spotted.

00:01:09: OK, let's get into it.

00:01:10: And well, what better place to start than the vehicles themselves?

00:01:14: So our first theme, next gen vehicles.

00:01:17: performance, design, and electrification.

00:01:19: This is where you see the physical results of all that innovation, right, where power meets design.

00:01:26: in this new electric age, what really stood out.

00:01:28: Yeah, it's fascinating, isn't it, how these established brands are pushing electrification but without sort of losing their core identity.

00:01:35: Take Portia.

00:01:37: Jordan Scheib, he's head of IR there.

00:01:39: He detailed the new nine-eleven Turbo S.

00:01:41: Ah, the nine-eleven.

00:01:43: Exactly.

00:01:43: And what's insightful isn't just the raw numbers, though they are impressive.

00:01:46: T hybrid tech, four hundred volt system, small battery, but a massive seven eleven p.s.

00:01:51: Gets to a hundred kilometers per hour in just two point five seconds.

00:01:54: Two

00:01:54: point five.

00:01:55: Yeah.

00:01:56: And Trevor Arthur, CEO at Perch Cars Canada, he echoed this, called it the most powerful production.

00:02:01: nine eleven ever.

00:02:02: But the real story, I think, is how they're using hybrid tech to actually amplify that traditional nine eleven feel.

00:02:09: The new HP DCC chassis control, their active anti-roll system.

00:02:14: specifically mentioned for more precision.

00:02:16: So

00:02:16: keeping that Porsche handling.

00:02:17: Precisely.

00:02:18: Keeping that feel even with the hybrid complexity.

00:02:21: It's a clear sign for performance brands.

00:02:23: Electrify, yes, but don't lose your soul.

00:02:26: two and a half seconds.

00:02:27: That's just wild for a production, nine eleven.

00:02:29: But okay, beyond the absolute top end sports cars, we saw big moves in electric SUVs too, didn't we?

00:02:35: What does this push for?

00:02:36: performance and luxury and EVs tell us about where the sort of mainstream market is heading?

00:02:40: It tells

00:02:41: us electrification isn't just about being green anymore.

00:02:43: It's about the premium experience, expanding what the car can do.

00:02:47: Brita Seger from Mercedes-Benz Group AG, she showcased the all-electric GLC, emphasized the engineering, the design, sure, but also the AI-driven MBOS for a more intuitive, safer drive.

00:02:57: It's

00:02:57: a tech integration, seamlessly.

00:02:59: And then you have Lucid Motors.

00:03:01: Lawrence Hamilton and Arjun Klumper introduced the Lucid Gravity SUV.

00:03:05: They were talking versatility, seven seats, great efficiency, and sports car performance, six hundred and seventeen kilowatts, that's eight hundred and thirty-nine p.s.

00:03:12: Plus a seven hundred and forty-eight kilometer WLTP range.

00:03:16: Wow.

00:03:17: It really shows consumers expected all now.

00:03:19: Practical, luxurious, exciting, doesn't matter if it's electric or not.

00:03:23: So electric doesn't mean compromise.

00:03:25: Got it.

00:03:26: But there were also brands kind of pushing back against too much automation, weren't there?

00:03:30: more focus on the driving itself.

00:03:32: Absolutely.

00:03:33: If you step back a bit, some brands are definitely doubling down on the sheer joy of driving.

00:03:37: CPRA's Tindaya Shokar, perfect example, Marcus Gossin and Per Brinkenburg called it a driver-centric rebellion against the autonomous tide.

00:03:45: A rebellion.

00:03:46: Strong words.

00:03:46: Their whole

00:03:47: philosophy, no drivers, no cheap URI.

00:03:49: It's not just marketing, it's a commitment to the emotion of driving.

00:03:52: The strong counterpoint to those purely autonomous visions, reminding us that for many mobility is still something you do.

00:03:57: Interesting.

00:03:58: And then sort of on the other side, Hyundai showed a really diverse range of EV concepts.

00:04:02: Seemed like they were trying to hit a bunch of different spots in the market.

00:04:04: Oh, definitely strategic.

00:04:06: Ann Poltman's Jan van Haver, Ulrich Macau from Hyundai, they highlighted the concept three.

00:04:12: It's a compact EV under the Ioni Q brand, aimed squarely at Europe's B segment.

00:04:18: focus on a human-centered cabin.

00:04:19: So practical, urban.

00:04:21: Right.

00:04:21: But then Pratik Patel mentioned the Instroid, very gaming-inspired design, pushing boundaries there, and the high-performance Ioni Q-Six N, promising serious electric speed.

00:04:32: It shows Hyundai's playing multiple angles.

00:04:34: Practical, playful, powerful, redefining what an EV can be across the board.

00:04:39: Okay, so all these amazing next-gen vehicles, whether they're monsters like that nine-eleven or practical city cars, they all need next-gen power solutions.

00:04:47: which brings us neatly to our next

00:04:48: theme,

00:04:48: powering the future batteries, charging and energy solutions, because let's face it, without solid infrastructure, these cars just stay concepts.

00:04:56: Precisely.

00:04:56: This is really about the backbone, the critical stuff.

00:04:59: And Volkswagen Group is making some significant moves here.

00:05:03: Giovanni Palazzo, CEO of LE, working with PowerCo, announced LE's first large-scale stationary storage system in Salskitter.

00:05:12: Stationary storage, so big batteries not in cars.

00:05:15: Exactly.

00:05:16: We're talking twenty megawatts, forty megawatt hours, using PowerCo's unified cell format.

00:05:21: This isn't just about charging cars anymore.

00:05:23: It marks Ellie stepping into a new role as a flexibility and energy solutions player.

00:05:29: The insight here.

00:05:31: Car companies are becoming energy companies.

00:05:33: It's bigger than just building vehicles.

00:05:35: That

00:05:35: is a bold move, diversifying like that, and sticking with charging.

00:05:38: We saw big steps forward in speed and convenience, too.

00:05:41: Oh, yeah.

00:05:42: Friends Reiner, he's chairman at Mercedes-Benz Mobility AG, talked about ultra-fast charging up to six hundred kilowatts starting in twenty twenty six.

00:05:48: Six

00:05:48: hundred kilowatts.

00:05:49: That kind of speed really tackles range anxiety head on.

00:05:52: But maybe even more interesting is bi-directional home charging, turning the electric GLC into essentially a battery pack for your house.

00:05:59: Power your home from your car.

00:06:01: Imagine that during a power cut.

00:06:03: And for access, Trevor Arthur also announced North American Porsche customers get access to over twenty three thousand five hundred Tesla superchargers.

00:06:11: Plus, Porsche is rolling out eleven kilowatt wireless charging.

00:06:15: starting with the electric cayenne.

00:06:17: Wireless

00:06:17: charging.

00:06:18: Now that could really change daily habits for EV owners.

00:06:20: It's this multi-pronged attack, you see.

00:06:22: Yeah.

00:06:23: Ultra-fast, public, convenient home charging, even wireless.

00:06:26: It all speeds up adoption.

00:06:28: Definitely.

00:06:29: But while we're on foundations, what about the batteries themselves?

00:06:31: That unified cell from VW sounded like a really big deal for Europe.

00:06:35: It

00:06:35: really is.

00:06:36: Thomas Schmall from VW's board and Andreas Groes from PowerCo introduced this cell made in salt skitter.

00:06:42: It's significance is huge.

00:06:44: It's designed for up to eighty percent of EW's EVs.

00:06:47: Eighty percent.

00:06:47: Yeah.

00:06:48: Standardizing, simplifying production.

00:06:50: Critically, setting new benchmarks for range, performance, efficiency, especially in smaller cars.

00:06:55: That standardization is vital for scaling up and cutting costs.

00:06:58: And complimenting that, Saba AZ-IZI from CATL unveiled a new European product, WaveCell, Shanksing Pro Tech.

00:07:06: Promising not just crazy performance, zero one hundred and two point five seconds again.

00:07:10: Seems to be the magic number.

00:07:11: Right,

00:07:12: but also super fast charging at four hundred kilometer range in just ten minutes.

00:07:17: These aren't small steps.

00:07:18: They're leaps in battery tech affecting everything.

00:07:20: It's clear the hardware is moving incredibly fast, but none of it works without the smarts behind it.

00:07:26: So let's pivot to theme three, the brains of mobility software, AI and connectivity.

00:07:33: This is where cars stop being just machines and become Well, intelligent partners.

00:07:38: Yeah, this shift to Cypher-defined vehicles, SDVs, it's arguably the biggest transformation happening.

00:07:45: Marcus Hein from Bosch really hammered this home.

00:07:48: Software-driven mobility isn't future talk, it's here now.

00:07:51: requires new thinking, flexibility, partnerships.

00:07:53: To look a whole mindset shift.

00:07:54: Totally.

00:07:55: And Matthias Pillon, CTO at Bosch Mobility, detailed their move to centralized EE architectures.

00:08:00: Basically, fewer, more powerful central computers instead of tons of separate little ones.

00:08:05: Simplifies the car's nervous system.

00:08:06: This enables things like vehicle motion management, VMM, which coordinates everything for a smooth, personal drive.

00:08:13: And high performance computers, consolidating infotainment, driver assist, all into a single system on ship.

00:08:19: It's a fundamental vehicle redesign.

00:08:21: That consolidation sounds massive, and it must really open the door for more advanced AI, right?

00:08:26: How fast is AI actually getting into cars?

00:08:29: Faster than maybe we thought.

00:08:31: Akash Palkiwala from Qualcomm announced a partnership with Google Cloud, bringing agentic AI to cars.

00:08:37: Agentic AI, what's that exactly?

00:08:39: It means AI that gets context, anticipates what you need, acts proactively.

00:08:44: Way beyond just voice commands, they're using Google's Gemini AI with Qualcomm's Snapdragon Digital Chassis.

00:08:50: The goal, real-time help, truly personal interactions in the car.

00:08:55: And speaking of experiences, Nils Wolney, CEO of Holoride, showed off their geospatial intelligence platform, enabling dynamic soundscapes with Dolby Labs and AI audio travel assistance with Valtech Mobility.

00:09:06: Imagine your car soundtrack changing based on where you are, what's happening.

00:09:10: Dynamic soundscapes.

00:09:11: That is definitely next level.

00:09:13: But all these complex systems, it must raise questions about the user interface, right?

00:09:17: Managing all that information.

00:09:19: Absolutely

00:09:19: critical.

00:09:20: Bodgering Solge, an Android engineer, gave a really insightful comparison between BMW's Panoramic iDrive that's on OS X and Android Automotive OS multi-display.

00:09:31: He pointed out how BMW pushes key info like speed, ADS, nav onto that wide head-up display band, optimizing for driver focus.

00:09:39: Makes sense.

00:09:40: But he also highlighted the challenges for developers, managing multiple screens, ensuring super low latency for a smooth experience.

00:09:48: It's a tricky balance, giving information, personalization, but keeping it seamless.

00:09:51: Indeed.

00:09:52: And these huge leaps in cars, power, software, they don't happen in isolation, which brings us to theme four, shaping the ecosystem.

00:10:00: partnerships, sustainability, and industry direction.

00:10:03: Taking a wider view of how the industry collaborates, innovates sustainably, and deals with policy changes.

00:10:08: Yeah,

00:10:08: this is where you see the big strategic place.

00:10:10: Marcus Wambach from MHP, that's a Porsche company, referenced their mobility study, twenty twenty five.

00:10:15: It really shows how vital partnerships are becoming

00:10:18: more important than before.

00:10:19: Significantly.

00:10:20: But here's the kicker, a disparity.

00:10:23: Seventy-three percent of U.S.

00:10:25: manufacturers see partnerships as critical for success.

00:10:28: Only fifty-two percent in Europe feel that strongly.

00:10:31: European firms, the study suggests, often focus more on cost cutting than using partnerships for innovation.

00:10:37: That's a pretty big difference in approach.

00:10:39: Could be a disadvantage for Europe.

00:10:40: Potentially, yeah.

00:10:42: If that trend continues.

00:10:43: And woven into this ecosystem shift is sustainability.

00:10:47: It's not just a buzzword now, is it?

00:10:49: It's really becoming core to design.

00:10:51: Seems

00:10:51: like it has to be.

00:10:52: Absolutely.

00:10:53: Eva Haberschreck from Magna, for example, presented their embedded eco design pillar, focusing on lower emissions, better material efficiency, more circularity right from the start.

00:11:02: And Julia, Dr.

00:11:03: Ng, Hobom discuss the new EU battery regulation.

00:11:07: Manufacturers are now legally responsible for the whole battery lifecycle collection, recycling, making sure it's a closed loop.

00:11:13: It's about building sustainability in.

00:11:15: Right, not just adding it on later.

00:11:16: But the path forward isn't always clear cut.

00:11:19: There were definitely some policy tensions mentioned.

00:11:21: For sure.

00:11:22: Mario Buchinger's post, for instance, warned that lifting the so-called combustion engine ban, which he points out isn't really a blanket ban, would seriously hurt the industry.

00:11:32: Called it.

00:11:32: clinging to a dying technology.

00:11:34: Strong words again.

00:11:35: And Higmeiborg pointed out this interesting paradox.

00:11:38: European car makers showing off amazing EVs.

00:11:42: while also lobbying to extend deadlines for combustion engines.

00:11:45: Raises questions about Europe's credibility, its leadership in the transition, highlights that internal conflict.

00:11:51: Yeah, it certainly makes you wonder about the long game.

00:11:53: So how does Europe navigate all this?

00:11:56: Stay strong as an auto hub.

00:11:57: That's the multi-billion dollar question, isn't it?

00:11:59: Nicholas Cortes mentioned VW Group CEO Oliver Bloom addressing exactly that.

00:12:04: e-mobility affordability, autonomous driving challenges, and keeping Europe strong.

00:12:09: And Andreas Venus from McKinsey laid out a nine-point action plan for European auto success, focused on economics, resilience, abatement, with digital and AI as key enablers for jobs and green innovation.

00:12:21: It's a comprehensive view, really pushing for proactivity.

00:12:24: Okay, this has all been super insightful about the tech and strategy.

00:12:27: But what about the event itself, IAA mobility?

00:12:30: Let's bring it back to IAA as a global hub.

00:12:32: The events impact and urban integration.

00:12:35: How did Munich itself become part of the show?

00:12:38: The scale and importance were really clear.

00:12:40: Hildegard Miller.

00:12:41: President of the VDA reported over three hundred and fifty world premieres and innovations.

00:12:45: That's huge.

00:12:47: And Stefan Rommel, CEO of Messon Mansion Group, confirmed Munich is locked in as Europe's mobility capital for IAA through twenty thirty one.

00:12:55: He stressed that unique open space concept, integrating mobility right into the city,

00:12:59: taking it out of the exhibition halls.

00:13:01: Exactly.

00:13:01: And what really struck me was the global growth.

00:13:04: Lin Zhang from VDA China noted a big jump in Chinese exhibitors.

00:13:08: A hundred and sixteen this year up from seventy-five in twenty-twenty-three shows just how dynamic and global this industry is now.

00:13:15: That Chinese increase is definitely a sign of the times.

00:13:18: And the city integration sounds like it made things tangible for everyone, not just industry folks.

00:13:22: Totally.

00:13:23: Thomas Grates from Siemens Handling Commuter Trains shared how they had a full-scale one point one model of Munich's new S-Bahn.

00:13:31: right there in the open space.

00:13:32: People could see the spacious seats, USB-C, Wi-Fi, digital info.

00:13:37: Like a sneak peek of their future commute.

00:13:39: Pretty much.

00:13:40: Christian Ribeiro from Siemens called it living room comfort and a tech marvel.

00:13:44: And Jurgen Mindl from VDA mentioned the Allianz Arena.

00:13:47: lit up especially for IAA.

00:13:49: The whole city felt like part of the event.

00:13:51: Sounds like a fantastic way to get the public involved.

00:13:54: So beyond the big displays, how else did IAA connect with... you know, regular citizens in communities.

00:14:00: That's

00:14:00: key, right.

00:14:01: Connected the big vision to daily life.

00:14:03: The event was really interactive.

00:14:05: Test drives, obviously, but also a citizen's lab at Marion Plots.

00:14:09: That's where initiatives like MINGA focusing on automating public transport presented by Christian Freimoser got showcased.

00:14:15: And Mopla Solutions, tackling mobility gaps in rural areas, highlighted by Sandra Winnick.

00:14:20: Ah, so not just city tech.

00:14:22: Exactly.

00:14:23: It shows the future of mobility isn't just shiny city cars or tech hubs, it's about connecting all communities, making solutions relevant everywhere.

00:14:30: If you enjoyed this deep dive, new additions drop every two weeks.

00:14:34: Also check out our other analyses on electrification and battery technology, next-gen vehicle intelligence, and commercial fleet insights.

00:14:42: Thank you so much for joining us as we unpacked IAA Mobility, twenty twenty five.

00:14:46: Yeah, thanks for listening.

00:14:47: As we've sort of explored, mobility isn't just about cars anymore, is it?

00:14:51: It's really about how we connect our lives.

00:14:53: High-performance EVs, sure, but also efficient public transport, smart rural solutions, and with AI and software changing everything so fast, the real question, maybe for you to think about is, how will our own definitions of speed, convenience, and even community, how will they ultimately reshape what it means to be truly mobile in the years ahead?

00:15:13: An excellent thought to leave us with.

00:15:15: Don't forget to subscribe for more deep dives into the future of your industry.