IAA Mobility 2023 Recap 1: Ford, Lucid, and Tesla – The US "Wagon Fort" at Königsplatz
The US brands presented themselves rather quietly and discreetly at Königsplatz and were delighted with full houses: There was a lot of activity at all the stands. At Tesla, guests were primarily interested in the facelifted Model 3, but the Model Y from Brandenburg (recognizable by the Quicksilver paint, which is only applied there) was also always well occupied. Tesla remains a "self-starter," and from snippets of conversations among interested parties, it was clear that many were still potential first-time customers who were surprised at how affordable it is to drive a Tesla—at least relatively speaking. Nevertheless, it was necessary to fly the flag at the IAA and to highlight the improvements to the Model 3.
Visibility is essential
For Lucid Motors, visibility was also extremely important: Although they have an exclusive showroom at Odeonsplatz, no one really perceives the Air as a competitor to the EQS or the i7. Let alone that anyone would just venture into the posh store. This is why Königsplatz was always packed and the test cars were always rolling! Thus, it was essential for the Americans to increase visibility and get people "into the car," whose sales in Europe are lagging far behind the once set targets. Which is a shame, because the Americans have put an efficient high-tech luxury sedan with a distinctive look on the road here, but if you don't have a name...
Ford presents itself as a fun brand
At the other end, Ford had set itself up as a new fun brand: With a rally version of the Mustang Mach-E and the F-150 Lightning, which is now also slated to be officially sold in (almost) all of Europe. This was complemented by the new Transit Connect and Courier—Ford remains a powerhouse in the van sector! Less so with mass-market cars: The new electric Explorer was available for test seating, but when interested parties asked about the delivery time, they heard "spring to mid-2024," as Ford is making further improvements to the batteries. Originally, the plan was to start in the last weeks of 2023 or at least in January 2024… The hand-painted Ford logo on the Model T from the historic expedition, which forms the historical basis for the new Explorer, was then symptomatic: The paint applied in shaky script and under the Ford script a faint embossment "made in U.S.A." Considering that Ford once had over 50% global market share as a manufacturer and the US auto industry, alongside GM, was the largest manufacturer until a few years ago.
Behind the "wagon fort," you could hear loud beats: from Xpeng, where they drew attention to themselves and the shift of power in the car business in the second row through sound...
What does that mean?
Meanwhile, the USA is still in the race for buyers' favor: However, not with the classic "giants" GM and Mopar (the Stellantis subsidiaries Chrysler and Dodge), but primarily with Tesla and Ford, where they currently find themselves as a new niche fun brand. With Lucid Motors, Uncle Sam also showed what luxury under five meters in length can look like. Either way, there is currently a lot of change happening here, which was visually reinforced by the "wagon fort" on Königsplatz...
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