Commercial vehicle industry to present more than 150 world premieres and new products at IAA TRANSPORTATION 2026

Once again this year, IAA TRANSPORTATION 2026 confirms its role as the leading international event for the future of road freight transport. With more than 70 percent of exhibitors coming from outside Germany, the show holds the high level of international participation reached at the last edition. Roughly one third of all exhibitors at IAA TRANSPORTATION 2026 are taking part for the first time this year. In total, exhibitors are presenting more than 150 world premieres and new products. This year's IAA TRANSPORTATION will be opened by German Federal Minister for Transport Steffen Bilger. Lower Saxony's Minister-President Olaf Lies and Hannover's Mayor Belit Onay will also speak at the opening ceremony, alongside the president of the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA), Hildegard Müller. 

This year's theme, "We Deliver", sets the tone as exhibitors showcase digital and climate-neutral mobility solutions for the future of road freight transport. The focus is on innovative drive systems, digital technologies, and solutions for a zero-emission, high-performance commercial vehicle industry. At today's press conference, VDA President Hildegard Müller emphasized the central role the logistics sector plays in the economy and in society. 

"The logistics industry delivers every day and keeps Germany and Europe running. It gets food onto supermarket shelves, orders to people's doors, and parts into factories. The automotive industry is creating the conditions for logistics to keep developing in a climate-neutral and digital direction," Müller said. 

The numbers show just how much road freight matters: it accounted for roughly 84 percent of transport volume in Germany in 2024. Last year, road freight in Germany covered more than 20 billion kilometers and moved around 2.8 billion metric tons of goods. "Our industry is not just one part of the economy among many. It is a cornerstone of our economy. Around 140,000 people are employed directly in the commercial vehicle industry – roughly one in five automotive industry jobs in Germany," Müller said. 

Industry has delivered, policymakers still owe their part
Müller underlined the industry's ambition and its commitment to climate protection: "Around 30 percent of road transport CO₂ emissions in Europe come from heavy-duty vehicles. The potential for cutting emissions is correspondingly large. German manufacturers have already developed the technologies needed: battery-electric trucks with ranges of more than 500 kilometers are available today. Hydrogen trucks achieve ranges of roughly 700 to 800 kilometers. We have gone first, with real commitment and substantial investment – we have developed the vehicles and the solutions to make climate-neutral transport possible. Now it is Berlin and Brussels that must deliver: we need the right conditions for charging infrastructure and hydrogen refueling stations, the grid connections to go with them, affordable electricity prices, and a reliable power supply. These are decisive factors in a purchasing decision. They are also the biggest limiting factors we face – and they fall squarely within the responsibility of Berlin and Brussels. Those conditions – above all the infrastructure that is needed – are largely not in place, and in some cases not even planned." 

Wide gap between ambition and reality 
Figures recently published by the German Association of the Automotive Industry on charging and hydrogen refueling infrastructure in Europe (Climate-friendly commercial vehicles | VDA) demonstrate this challenge. There is still considerable ground to make up in the build-out of charging and hydrogen infrastructure. By 2030, around 35,000 publicly available MCS fast-charging points for heavy-duty vehicles will be needed across Europe, some 4,000 of them in Germany. In total, up to 50,000 truck-capable charging points will be required EU-wide. Currently, however, a mere 730 charging points with a minimum output of over 350 kW are available EU-wide exclusively for heavy-duty commercial vehicles. At mixed-use locations, there are just under 2,000 public charging points for heavy-duty commercial vehicles. 

Hydrogen infrastructure is lagging just as far behind: only around 216 hydrogen refueling stations for road freight are currently available across Europe. The German Association of the Automotive Industry expects that by 2030, Europe will require around 2,000 truck-capable hydrogen refueling stations with a capacity of roughly 2 metric tons of hydrogen per day.

Looming penalties are a question of survival for many companies 
"Brussels and Berlin have an obligation to move ahead on the conditions for infrastructure build-out with determination and ambition. The CO₂ fleet regulation, with penalties that are a question of survival for many companies, must be brought in line with reality. The necessary infrastructure isn't in place, grid connections are missing, permits take years, and at the same time the economics are becoming increasingly difficult for the industry and freight carriers. All of this shows, that policymakers have not yet done enough of their part. The automotive industry has delivered, but the targets that have been set cannot be met under the conditions that currently exist," Müller said.

Müller also made a broader point: "The transformation will only become a success story if it brings together prosperity, growth, and employment. For that to happen, policymakers in Brussels and Berlin finally have to put their full weight behind the international competitiveness of Germany and Europe as places to do business. A strong business location is the best answer to intensifying international competition." 

A strongly international lineup promises breadth 
The figures presented at the press conference make it clear: IAA TRANSPORTATION 2026 is staying true to its international character. More than 70 percent of exhibitors come from outside Germany. At the same time, a large number of newcomers is adding extra momentum: roughly one third of exhibitors are taking part in IAA TRANSPORTATION for the first time in 2026. 

"The high level of internationality and the large number of first-time exhibitors show how attractive IAA TRANSPORTATION is as a global platform for the commercial vehicle, logistics, and transport sectors. It brings established market leaders, innovative companies, and new players together, creating space for exchange, partnerships, and new business ideas," said Jürgen Mindel, VDA Managing Director. 

Suppliers and body manufacturers are once again a central element of IAA TRANSPORTATION 2026. With more than 766 exhibitors, suppliers remain the backbone of the event. Nearly one in two exhibitors comes from this segment. Body manufacturers are the second-largest exhibitor group at IAA TRANSPORTATION after suppliers, with 240 exhibitors. 

"The large number of small and medium-sized businesses among the exhibitors, the more than 150 world premieres and new products, the solutions to a huge range of challenges – all of it is a striking demonstration of the innovative strength and breadth of our industry across the entire value chain," Mindel said. The supplier industry in particular, he added, is proving how decisive its contribution is to making transport and logistics more efficient, more digital, and more sustainable, and to making the transformation work. 

Record numbers for the IAA Test Drives 
Visitors won't just see how far the transformation has already come at the exhibitor booths – they can experience it for themselves. The IAA Test Drives schedule has once again been expanded significantly for 2026. A total of 84 vehicles from 17 exhibitors are available for test drives on the show grounds and on public roads – 40 percent more than in 2024. Every available slot was booked by exhibitors immediately. Visitors with the appropriate driver's license can book test drives on site at the departure terminal in Hall 14/15. 

"You can't grasp progress from a spec sheet, you have to get behind the wheel. That is exactly why we worked with our exhibitors to expand the IAA Test Drives so substantially," Mindel said. "The strong demand from exhibitors shows that IAA TRANSPORTATION is the place to present innovations to the world and make them tangible right away." 

More than 200 speakers discuss the future at the IAA Conference 
The strategic questions of the transformation take center stage in the IAA TRANSPORTATION Conference program. Across three stages – the Main Stage, the Industry Stage, and the new prototype.club Stage – the IAA Conference offers more than 100 program items with over 200 speakers. Representatives of leading companies will discuss electrification, software-defined vehicles, and the economic resilience of the commercial vehicle industry, among other topics. The industry's most prestigious awards will be presented as early as Press Day on September 14. They include the International Truck of the Year, the Van of the Year, the Trailer of the Year, and the Truck Innovation Award. The 112 press conferences exhibitors have registered for Press Day are a clear sign that companies are deliberately using IAA TRANSPORTATION as an international platform to introduce their new products and innovations to a global professional audience. The event's international standing is also reflected in the number of accredited media representatives: around 580 journalists from around the world are expected. 

Drivers' and Family Weekend sends a signal of appreciation on World Children's Day 
On September 19 and 20, IAA TRANSPORTATION puts the people behind logistics center stage. VDA Managing Director, Jürgen Mindel: "With the Drivers' and Family Weekend, we want above all to recognize the people whose daily work keeps the economy running in Germany and Europe. It is important work, but for drivers it is often a hard job. That is why we want to give drivers and their families a special experience at IAA TRANSPORTATION with the Drivers' and Family Weekend – fittingly, on World Children's Day, which takes place on September 20."