The two biggest premieres in Munich in 2023 were concepts, and both turned into real cars. Mercedes showed the Concept CLA Class and BMW the Vision Neue Klasse. Within about two years the CLA was orderable, and the Neue Klasse had produced its first model.
Tesla was back as well, at the IAA for the first time since 2013, AFP reported. Before the show the organisers said 41% of exhibitors came from Asia, and that the number of Chinese companies had more than doubled.
A Show In The Halls And On The Streets
IAA Mobility 2023 ran from 5 to 10 September, with press day on Monday 4 September, according to the organisers’ own page. The VDA and Messe München call it the second IAA Mobility in Munich, and they split it in two.
The IAA Summit filled Messe München from Tuesday 5 to Friday 8 September. The IAA Open Space took over the city centre, between Marienplatz, Odeonsplatz and Königsplatz.
The closing release counted over 500,000 people, with more than 100,000 in the Open Space on Saturday alone. It also listed nearly 750 exhibitors from 38 countries, over 300 world premieres and novelties, and more than 3,700 journalists from 82 countries.
The release does not say how visitors were counted across the two sites. So the 500,000 cannot be compared with a show that only counts its halls, and part of it is the free street programme.
BYD alone showed six models, including the Seal U, which the IAA newsroom called a European debut. On press day, AFP reported, Greenpeace activists submerged three cars in a lake outside the convention centre.
The Cars That Mattered
Mercedes-Benz Concept CLA Class
Mercedes presented the Concept CLA Class on 3 September at its pavilion in the Munich Residence, and called it a world premiere. It previews the first family on the new MMA platform, with a claimed range of more than 750 km (WLTP) at around 12 kWh/100 km.
The production CLA followed. German orders opened in April 2025, from €55,858.60 for the CLA 250+ to €60,380.60 for the CLA 350 4MATIC (electrive, 29 April 2025). The CLA was then named European Car of the Year 2026.
BMW Vision Neue Klasse
BMW headed its list of premieres with the “World premiere of the BMW Vision Neue Klasse”, a preview of its next generation of models. It stood at both sites, on the Summit stand in Hall A2 and at BMW’s Open Space site on Max-Joseph-Platz.
The first production Neue Klasse car was an SUV. The iX3 premiered at IAA Mobility 2025 with a base price of €68,900, and electrive reported in February 2026 that BMW’s German configurator had raised it to €70,900.
BMW 5 Series Plug-In Hybrid
BMW also listed “the plug-in hybrid variants of the new BMW 5 Series Sedan” as a world premiere. The 5 Series we photographed stood beside a “BMW 530e” card, on a stand with a plug-in hybrid panel.
BMW quotes 220 kW (299 hp) for the 530e, a battery of up to 19.4 kWh and 93 to 103 km of electric range (WLTP). German list prices were €65,300 for the 530e and €77,300 for the 550e xDrive.
Lucid Air
Lucid announced that the Air Pure would “celebrate its premiere on the European stage” at a pop-up studio on Königsplatz, with the Touring and Grand Touring alongside. The Air Pure AWD has a 92 kWh battery and up to 725 km of WLTP range. In May 2023 electrive reported German prices of €109,000 for the Air Pure AWD and €129,000 for the Air Touring.
Tesla Model 3
Tesla’s comeback car was the revised Model 3, AFP reported. On 1 September Tesla’s German configurator listed it from €42,990 with rear-wheel drive and €51,990 with all-wheel drive, with deliveries due from October (electrive). Those prices already deduct Tesla’s share of the German EV subsidy.
We filmed the refreshed Model 3 at IAA Mobility 2023. Our Tesla Model 3 Highland First Look has the full story.
Volkswagen ID.2all
The blue hatchback on Volkswagen’s stand is the ID.2all. Volkswagen unveiled the concept on 15 March 2023 as an electric car for under €25,000, with up to 450 km of range, on the MEB Entry platform.
Its production successor, the ID. Polo, was revealed in April 2026. It starts at €24,995 in Germany (autoevolution, 27 July 2026), and Electrifying reported German pre-orders from €33,795 for a Life with the largest battery.
MINI Cooper
BMW Group counted the new all-electric MINI Cooper and Countryman among its IAA world premieres at the Open Space, although MINI had published their data on 1 September.
MINI’s preliminary figures were 135 kW (184 hp) and 305 km of WLTP range for the Cooper E, and 160 kW (218 hp) and 402 km for the Cooper SE. ecomento reported German prices of €32,900 for the E and €36,900 for the SE.
IAA Mobility 2023 at a glance
| Dates | 5 to 10 September 2023 |
| Venue | Messe München (IAA Summit) and the city-centre IAA Open Space (Marienplatz, Odeonsplatz, Königsplatz) |
| Visitors | Over 500,000, according to Messe München and the VDA |
| Edition | Second IAA Mobility in Munich, according to the organisers |
| Exhibitors | Nearly 750 from 38 countries, according to the organisers |
| Organiser | VDA and Messe München |
| Press day | Monday 4 September 2023 |
Source: Messe München release, 10 Sep 2023; iaa-mobility.com.
Our Take
Munich in 2023 was a show of previews. Its two headline premieres were concepts, and both reached production within about two years. The cars that already had prices, Tesla’s Model 3 and the Lucid Air, showed where the pressure on price and range was coming from.
The ID.2all is the one to follow from here. Volkswagen promised an electric car for under €25,000 in 2023, and the ID. Polo now starts at €24,995 in Germany.
Independent editorial. No brand or organiser paid for or reviewed this article.
