German Car Zone

So you actually went to the press days? Wow!

I'll be going tuesday most likely....

Yeah press days are best in comparison with the slightly chaotic public days which are not attended by all the CEOs and influential personnel. Meet Adrian Van Hooydonk too. Here's a link to my IAA 2009 report.

I think no one would go on the public days if they had a choice.

Awesome dude, awesome. I read the report....you freaking sat right behind Ferdinand!!!

Seriously I don't have a choice, I do not get invited for IAA press days. That would be a dream for sure!

Yup, press days are great, but this year at IAA, there were way too many people that had nothing in common with press.

I literally waited 45 min after some guys to get out of the 5 GT car after playing around with all the buttons. I know it's a new car and interior, but come on....it's not a playground.

All the CEO big shots were there, as you said, CEO, board members, Adrian, Warmers, you name it....and it's easy to approach them during press days.

Yeah the sheer number of people there was shocking, especially compared with the London Motor show which was last year a bit more intimate and only attended by press. Frankfurt on the other hand was a melting pot for the auto industry as a whole with suppliers and such also present.

I hardly got any personal time with the X1 until late 18:00ish when the hall had been cleared a bit. The Mercedes hall was literally a playground with 50 year old men embarrassing themselves by pushing in front of people and whining about not getting to sit inside the car fast enough. What annoyed me most is that only senior VAG staff were permitted to sit inside the Mulsanne while we other mortals got told off the minute we laid a hand on the body work of the car.

Geneva is coming up early next year but I be there, will attend the Paris autoshow instead. That will be enough for me.

Klier: Yeah me and my companion were seated just three rows behind Ferdinand and his wife, but we didn't dare speak to him -- we felt inferior . VAG seniors received royal treatment like no other people. Press photographers were all over them and black A8s, Phaetons and Flyingspurs were at their disposal. It's a shame they were so unapproachable. BMW AG seniors were the least corporate ones.

I met the Brit in person @ my hometown of Bethlehem in the RSA. They were on a Motorad breakfast run and stopped at my local BMW dealer. He was then the MD of BMW S.A. we chatted...nice guy Guess who replaced him as MD of BMW SA for a short time when he left to head Rolls-Royce...no one other than Norbert Reithofer...now the CEO

BMW AG is know for very airy corporate culture ... quite informal (yet very professional) contacts ... More like the IT companies.

Not kidding: it will be even more so ... since it's the part of the sustainability strategy: being more approachable ... to the employees, and to the customers / public.



Yes, IAA is usually a "Messe" but IAA2009 proved to be a mess. I don't know why theye were so liberal & loose this year at giving press accreditations.

were you there?

Unfortunately not.
Not enough time ...

But I'll be in Germany next weekend, so perhaps I'll jump to IAA for a few hours ... If so, it will be a very targeted & focused visit to IAA.

Although I'm not very tempted to be there on regular visit days ... Since no officials are there anymore.

Press days rules.


Hint: next time "book" an "interview" with officials ... contact their secretaries, or the head PR person @ the stand. PR people know who will be there at the stand, and when. So you can get 15-20 minutes with chiefs exclusively.