Despite the difficult market situation, the 59th commercial vehicle IAA in 2002 exceeded the expectations of the VDA. Around 237,000 visitors from 84 countries made their way to Hanover. The proportion of specialist visitors was a good 90 percent.

At the 60th passenger car IAA in 2003, just under 1,000 exhibitors presented their products over an exhibition area of 215,000 square meters. 37 percent of these exhibitors were from abroad. Visitors numbered just under one million, with specialist visitors accounting for one-third.

DaimlerChrysler focussed its presentation on brand fascination and included the world premiere of the Mercedes-Benz McLaren SLR. The company also retained its concept of presenting trailblazing vehicle and traffic studies at the IAA, however, with corporate themes such as “Energy for the Future”, ”The Vision of Accident-free Driving” and “Automotive Visions”.

Accordingly, the aim of automobile fairs is still “primarily to promote sales”, as defined in an in-house Daimler-Benz circular relating to the IAA in 1955. Nonetheless, they have also long been an indispensable marketing tool for maintaining the corporate image – while offering us all a glimpse into the future of the automobile.