The International Motor Show (IAA) proved once again that it is no longer merely a venue for displaying polished metal and leather interiors.
Instead, it is a declaration of intent – a strategic battlefield where the future of mobility is being fought.
For an event that traces its lineage back to 1897 in Berlin, the IAA’s shift to Munich from its long-standing home in Frankfurt was a seismic event.
It was not just a change of location but a reimagining of its very purpose. IAA Mobility, as it is now known, seeks to embrace the entire ecosystem of transport, from two-wheeled electric bikes to urban air mobility concepts, all while grappling with the tectonic shifts threatening the dominance of Europe’s incumbent carmakers.
The show’s dual concept, with the IAA Summit for industry professionals at the exhibition grounds and the public-facing IAA Open Space across the city, made it a festival of technology and a public showcase of a future that is rapidly arriving.
According to the VDA (German Association of the Automotive Industry), the 2025 show was a signal of strength, featuring 748 exhibitors from 37 countries, with a record 57 per cent of companies being international. More than 300 world premieres and innovations were on display, underscoring the event's global relevance.
This renewed focus on international participation and a broader mobility concept is a direct response to a changing industry.
The event serves as a critical platform for German carmakers to demonstrate their innovative power and make a clear statement to political leaders in Berlin and Brussels about the need for supportive policies that favour technological openness and flexibility.
The electric front: German engineering on display
This year’s show was defined by the relentless march of the electric vehicle, a tide that is swelling with a ferocity that few had just a decade or so ago anticipated.
The headline announcements were dominated by batteries, charging ranges and the kind of digital cockpits that would make an airline pilot feel at home.
Leading the charge was BMW, which celebrated the world premiere of the new BMW iX3. The first production model from the brand’s Neue Klasse line-up, the latest arrival is a fully electric Sports Activity Vehicle (SAV) featuring sixth-generation eDrive technology. BMW claims a range of up to 805km and a peak charging rate of up to 400kW.
The vehicle also introduces a new electronics and software architecture with four high-performance (or “superbrain”, as the brand calls them) computers, designed to make the vehicle smarter and more future-ready than ever.
It served as a powerful statement that Munich is not prepared to cede its crown without a fight, leveraging its long-standing reputation for luxury and engineering prowess to redefine what a premium EV should be.
Not to be outdone, Mercedes-Benz held the world premiere of its all-new electric GLC with EQ Technology. As the first member of a new vehicle family, the electric GLC reinterprets the brand's face with a redesigned grille and introduces a new interior design language. The vehicle, which will be available as the GLC 400 4MATIC with EQ Technology, boasts a range of up to 713km. Mercedes also introduced the CONCEPT AMG GT XX and the new CLA Shooting Brake.
Meanwhile, the Volkswagen Group showcased its commitment to a broader, more affordable electric future with what it termed an Electric Urban Car Family. The new ID. CROSS Concept made its global debut, with the Skoda Epiq SUV presented as a physical concept car. The Volkswagen ID. Polo and CUPRA Raval were shown as camouflaged series vehicles, all promising a range of up to 450km.
It was a clear signal that the German auto giant is aiming to make EVs accessible to the masses, a strategy crucial to meeting the continent's ambitious emissions targets.
Porsche also had a significant presence, unveiling the 911 Turbo S Cabriolet. This latest version incorporates a T-Hybrid power-train, delivering record levels of grunt and an electrifying 0-100kph sprint time of just 2.5 seconds.
It was a powerful reminder that even as the industry electrifies, performance and engineering excellence remain paramount.
The new contenders: China’s arrival in Europe
Perhaps the most significant theme of this year's IAA was the presence, bolder than ever before, of Chinese carmakers.
BYD, now a global powerhouse, arrived with a fleet of models ready for the European market, including the new Seal 6 DM-i Touring, offering a staggering range in excess of 1,500km. The brand's messaging was clear: it offers high-tech, high-quality EVs at a price point that puts immense pressure on its European counterparts.
At a technology-focused space at Konigsplatz, BYD also demonstrated its fast-charging system, claiming it can add around 400km of range in just five minutes.
Joining them were other ambitious players like Leapmotor, Deepal, GAC and Dongfeng, which showed off new models and technologies aimed at the European consumer. Their presence was a stark reminder that the decades-old automotive hierarchy is being dismantled.
The European players are no longer just competing with each other or with Detroit's finest; they are now in a global battle for market share against a new wave of highly agile and technologically advanced competitors from the East.
This shift has created a new dynamic at the show. The focus has moved from just speed, power and luxury to a more holistic evaluation of what a car offers.
Consumers are now asking about the battery's chemical composition, the speed of over-the-air software updates, and the seamless integration of a vehicle into their digital lives. The Chinese brands, unencumbered by a century of internal combustion engine legacy, are built from the ground up to answer these very questions.
The Munich show was a powerful lesson in adaptation. The German automotive industry, a cornerstone of its economy and global identity, is grappling with a challenge unlike any it has ever faced. While the brands on home soil put on a defiant display of innovation and ambition, the real story of the show was the new global order taking shape.
The IAA has become a vibrant showcase of the new competitive landscape, proving that in the race to electrify, the finish line is still a long way off.
Racecard:
6.30pm: Mazrat Al Ruwayah (PA) | Group 2 | US$55,000 (Dirt) | 1,600 metres
7.05pm: Meydan Sprint (TB) | Group 2 | $250,000 (Turf) | 1,000m
7.40pm: Firebreak Stakes | Group 3 | $200,000 (D) | 1,600m
8.15pm: Meydan Trophy | Conditions (TB) | $100,000 (T) | 1,900m
8.50pm: Balanchine | Group 2 (TB) | $250,000 (T) | 1,800m
9.25pm: Handicap (TB) | $135,000 (D) | 1,200m
10pm: Handicap (TB) | $175,000 (T) | 2,410m.
UAE tour of the Netherlands
UAE squad: Rohan Mustafa (captain), Shaiman Anwar, Ghulam Shabber, Mohammed Qasim, Rameez Shahzad, Mohammed Usman, Adnan Mufti, Chirag Suri, Ahmed Raza, Imran Haider, Mohammed Naveed, Amjad Javed, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed
Fixtures and results:
Monday, UAE won by three wickets
Wednesday, 2nd 50-over match
Thursday, 3rd 50-over match
Naga
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SOUTH%20KOREA%20SQUAD
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Turkish Ladies
Various artists, Sony Music Turkey
Company%20Profile
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere
Director: Scott Cooper
Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Odessa Young, Jeremy Strong
Rating: 4/5
At a glance
Fixtures All matches start at 9.30am, at ICC Academy, Dubai. Admission is free
Thursday UAE v Ireland; Saturday UAE v Ireland; Jan 21 UAE v Scotland; Jan 23 UAE v Scotland
UAE squad Rohan Mustafa (c), Ashfaq Ahmed, Ghulam Shabber, Rameez Shahzad, Mohammed Boota, Mohammed Usman, Adnan Mufti, Shaiman Anwar, Ahmed Raza, Imran Haider, Qadeer Ahmed, Mohammed Naveed, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan
Honeymoonish
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More from Neighbourhood Watch:
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
DUBAI CARNIVAL RESULTS
6.30pm Handicap US$135,000 (Turf) 2,410m
Winner Dubai Future, Harry Bentley (jockey), Saeed bin Suroor (trainer).
7.05pm UAE 1000 Guineas Listed $250,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
Winner Dubai Love, Patrick Cosgrave, Saeed bin Suroor.
7.40pm Dubai Dash Listed $175,000 (T) 1,000m
Winner: Equilateral, James Doyle, Charles Hills.
8.15pm Al Bastakiya Trial Conditions $100,000 (D) 1.900m
Winner Laser Show, Kevin Stott, Saeed bin Suroor.
8.50pm Al Fahidi Fort Group Two $250,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner Glorious Journey, James Doyle, Charlie Appleby.
9.25pm Handicap $135,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner George Villiers, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar.
ENGLAND SQUAD
Joe Root (c), Moeen Ali, Jimmy Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler, Alastair Cook, Sam Curran, Keaton Jennings, Ollie Pope, Adil Rashid, Ben Stokes, James Vince, Chris Woakes
Shubh Mangal Saavdhan
Directed by: RS Prasanna
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Bhumi Pednekar
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
LEADERBOARD
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Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
Earth under attack: Cosmic impacts throughout history
- 4.5 billion years ago: Mars-sized object smashes into the newly-formed Earth, creating debris that coalesces to form the Moon
- 66 million years ago: 10km-wide asteroid crashes into the Gulf of Mexico, wiping out over 70 per cent of living species – including the dinosaurs.
- 50,000 years ago: 50m-wide iron meteor crashes in Arizona with the violence of 10 megatonne hydrogen bomb, creating the famous 1.2km-wide Barringer Crater
- 1490: Meteor storm over Shansi Province, north-east China when large stones “fell like rain”, reportedly leading to thousands of deaths.
- 1908: 100-metre meteor from the Taurid Complex explodes near the Tunguska river in Siberia with the force of 1,000 Hiroshima-type bombs, devastating 2,000 square kilometres of forest.
- 1998: Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 breaks apart and crashes into Jupiter in series of impacts that would have annihilated life on Earth.
-2013: 10,000-tonne meteor burns up over the southern Urals region of Russia, releasing a pressure blast and flash that left over 1600 people injured.
FIXTURES
Monday, January 28
Iran v Japan, Hazza bin Zayed Stadium (6pm)
Tuesday, January 29
UAEv Qatar, Mohamed Bin Zayed Stadium (6pm)
Friday, February 1
Final, Zayed Sports City Stadium (6pm)
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
Kamindu Mendis bio
Full name: Pasqual Handi Kamindu Dilanka Mendis
Born: September 30, 1998
Age: 20 years and 26 days
Nationality: Sri Lankan
Major teams Sri Lanka's Under 19 team
Batting style: Left-hander
Bowling style: Right-arm off-spin and slow left-arm orthodox (that's right!)
SHAITTAN
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Tips from the expert
Dobromir Radichkov, chief data officer at dubizzle and Bayut, offers a few tips for UAE residents looking to earn some cash from pre-loved items.
- Sellers should focus on providing high-quality used goods at attractive prices to buyers.
- It’s important to use clear and appealing photos, with catchy titles and detailed descriptions to capture the attention of prospective buyers.
- Try to advertise a realistic price to attract buyers looking for good deals, especially in the current environment where consumers are significantly more price-sensitive.
- Be creative and look around your home for valuable items that you no longer need but might be useful to others.
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
