Is the current IAA MOBILITY now a Chinese-dominated event?

In early September, IAA MOBILITY took place in Munich as scheduled. Although its predecessor was the Frankfurt Motor Show, the current IAA MOBILITY is more of a showcase for future mobility concepts. From the perspective of exhibitors, it has perhaps become an international auto show that feels like a Chinese home ground.

This is also evident in the numbers. According to statistics, among the 629 participating companies this year, 103 are from China, accounting for 16%. This doesn't include Chinese companies that registered using the addresses of their European or American subsidiaries. The actual number of Chinese exhibitors is likely to be even higher.

Specifically for automakers, Changan, Dongfeng, GAC, Hongqi, Geely, Chery, BYD, XPeng, Leapmotor, AITO, 212 Off - road Vehicle, and Lingtu Automobile were all present. Among them, Changan sent Avatr and Deepal; Dongfeng presented Fengxing and Liugong Auto; Aion represented GAC; Geely used Volvo and Polestar, two well - known brands in Europe; and Chery sent Omoda and Jaecoo among its four international brands.

In the industrial chain, Chinese companies were also very active. Leading battery companies such as CATL, CALB, EVE Energy, Gotion High - tech, and ProLogium all participated in this IAA MOBILITY. In the field of high - level intelligent driving, major domestic suppliers such as QCraft, Horizon Robotics, DJI, Momenta, RoboSense, DeepRoute.ai, and MINIEYE, as well as two lidar companies, Hesai Technology and RoboSense, also exhibited.

In addition, companies covering various positions in the automotive supply chain, such as iFlytek, Desay SV, Thundersoft, Neusoft Group, Inovance Technology, Magtron, VMAX, Jingjin Electric, Honeycomb Automotive, New Vision, Kika, Orbbec, Chelian Tianxia, Huiding Technology, Nanyang Xijian (shock absorbers), and Jin Qilin (brake systems), also appeared in Munich.

Obviously, for most Chinese media, the core highlight of this IAA MOBILITY is no longer the sky - high - priced concept cars or German luxury cars, but the ubiquitous "Chinese imprints" in the exhibition hall.

The most intuitive feeling comes from the changes in the booth area and the overall atmosphere.

On the one hand, the collective "buzz" of Chinese companies was quite impressive. There were many brands, and the large booth areas were very noticeable. BYD directly secured an extremely large booth comparable to a home - ground setup, which caught the attention of European counterparts. Changan's Deepal and Avatr brought multiple main models, showing their expectations for the European market. Other companies like XPeng and Leapmotor also had larger booths than many international automakers. In terms of the actual visual experience in the exhibition hall, the "Chinese" presence might be even greater than the number of Chinese companies. According to the booth layout, the outdoor exhibition areas of BYD, XPeng, and Leapmotor, three Chinese automakers, were the largest, indicating their high - level layout and expectations in Europe.

In contrast, German automakers on their home turf were relatively "restrained". The booths of Mercedes - Benz, BMW, and Volkswagen were still grand, but the exhibits lacked the revolutionary products of the past. They mainly optimized and supplemented their existing electrified product lines, trying to maintain their market share with more refined craftsmanship and more luxurious interiors.

Behind the booths, Chinese forces demonstrated a deeper - level "dominance" in technology. This IAA MOBILITY is no longer an opportunity for Chinese brands to learn from European technology. Instead, it is the best time for European and even global industry players to seriously listen to the "technological declaration" from China.

Take CATL for example. It chose to globally debut its top - level NP3.0 battery safety technology and the Shenxing Pro battery customized for the European market in Munich. This is not just about product exports but a blatant "standard output". While European local battery companies are still struggling to survive, CATL has started to define the safety, lifespan, and fast - charging standards for the next - generation batteries in the European market.

Similar "technology output" is also reflected in "behind - the - scenes players" like Horizon Robotics. Its Journey series of chips have become an unavoidable choice for more and more European automakers during their intelligent transformation and are evolving from a Chinese brand to a global one. This transformation from "selling products" to "selling technology" and "selling standards" is of far - reaching significance. It marks that in the core electrification field, the Chinese industrial chain has evolved from a follower to a leader.

In fact, even European giants on their home ground are openly showing their "Chinese solutions". For example, the cooperation between Volkswagen and XPeng is a typical example of cooperation in this era. Similarly, the cooperation between Audi and SAIC is regarded as a key step for Audi to catch up with the leading electrification camp.

On the supply - chain level, this kind of dependence is even more common. Whether it's Volkswagen, BMW, or Mercedes - Benz, the core "three - electric" systems of their latest electrified models all involve Chinese suppliers such as CATL and BYD.

Obviously, faced with the "generational gap" advantage that Chinese automakers have established in the fields of electrification and intelligence, the proud German giants have to choose the reverse script of "exchanging market for technology" to buy precious time for their transformation.

In conclusion, the 2025 IAA MOBILITY in Munich clearly reflects the drastic changes in the global automotive industry landscape. When Chinese automakers bring the most advanced technology, the most mature products, and the most complete industrial chain to Europe, the time left for European giants is really running out. This is no longer a question of "whether to change" but a matter of "perish if not change". In this survival battle for the future, those who can more thoroughly put aside their pride and more sincerely embrace change are more likely to get the next ticket to the new era.

This article is from the WeChat official account “Che Yun” (ID: cheyunwang), author: Lu Zhiyao. It is published by 36Kr with permission.