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English   A historical review: The International Automobile Show (IAA) and Mercedes-Benz
18.09.2010 von admin



From Berlin to the Rhine

In May 1927 the 19th IAA was held at the exhibition halls in Cologne, with trucks and special-purpose vehicles on display. This was followed by an IAA in Leipzig, after which the venue for the IAA once again became Berlin until the outbreak of the Second World War. The 21st IAA in November 1928 was the first post-war automobile fair that could be described as truly international. The exhibition area of approx. 22,500 square meters attracted around 600 exhibitors, of which 80 were foreign companies.

According to an internal exhibition report in Untertürkheim, the main consideration was “greater comfort”: “Even the purely technical innovations shown at the fair, for example the overdrive gear, the synchronized transmission, the automatic clutch, the swing axle and other features are the result of this objective...” Nonetheless the management of Mercedes-Benz also announced a technical highlight to the press on the stand in Hall 1: the new eight-cylinder Nürburg model, which satisfied “the highest of expectations”.

The world economic crisis prevented any further International Automobile Fairs from being staged until 1931. Though the worldwide recession was still noticeable when the 22nd IAA was held in Berlin that year, the fair attracted no less than 295,000 visitors. New features on display included models with front-wheel drive. At the 23rd IAA in 1933 the focus was on price. The fair was attended by around 400 exhibitors in nine halls, and was opened by Adolf Hitler as German Chancellor. He declared himself a friend of the automobile and flattered the industry by announcing tax concessions and road construction programs. At the IAA two years later, the magazine "Der Motorist" reported with enthusiasm that the “ingenious concept” proclaimed at the time, namely motorization in all areas of German life, had been realized.
Poster of the IAA 1927

While newspaper reports on the IAA of 1933 praised the introduction of coil springs in place of conventional leaf springs for their positive effect on roadholding in the Mercedes-Benz Model 170, the diesel engine had meanwhile emerged victorious in the commercial vehicle sector. Daimler-Benz Director Wilhelm Kissel also emphasized the fact that in future, all car models would be equipped with “a special electro-mechanical anti-theft system and the well-known Vigot vehicle jack”.

“The exhibition shows that we are in all respects in a favorable position with our model range, and especially with the passenger car models”, reads an internal report on the 23rd IAA. “Our design and workmanship are recognized as first-class and leading. We are also very well placed where prices are concerned, as some of our competitors have been obliged to raise their prices considerably.“


Represented also with commercial vehicles: Daimler-Benz at the 1931 International Motor Show in Berlin.


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