In an exhibition hall the size of 38 soccer fields, thousands of vehicles, from large trucks, buses and trailers to food trucks and minivans, were packed in. In various spots across a dozen or so indoor halls, large trucks awaiting their unveiling sat under big tarps, and while most of the vehicles' engines were on, there were no emissions. Instead, banners touting single-charge driving ranges of hundreds of kilometers were hung everywhere. In a demonstration driving area on one side of the venue, trucks, concrete mixer trucks, buses and vans were being readied to welcome test riders.
This was the scene on Sept. 14 at IAA Transportation 2026 press day at the Hannover Messe in Germany. The show, where visitors can see at a glance everything from products by global commercial vehicle makers to electrification, Autonomous Driving and fleet management technologies, runs from the 15th to the 20th.
The exhibition features about 1,100 corporations setting up roughly 1,700 booths, including global commercial vehicle brands such as Daimler Truck, Volvo Trucks, MAN Truck & Bus, Scania, DAF Trucks, Renault Trucks and Ford Trucks, as well as specialty vehicle builders, parts makers and logistics solution companies. From Korea, participants included Kia(000270), Hankook Tire, SNT Dynamics(003570) and DeepFusion AI.
Global commercial vehicle brands put eco-friendly commercial vehicles front and center. Germany's Daimler Truck unveiled the Mercedes-Benz eActros 600 Lowliner, which can travel up to 500㎞ on a single charge at a gross vehicle weight of 40 tons (t).
MAN Truck & Bus gathered its full lineup of electric trucks, including the eTGX, which can travel 570㎞ on a single charge, covering from 12 tons (t) to 50 t. Tesla displayed its electric tractor truck, the Semi, and released European specifications and launch information. The Semi can travel 550㎞ on a single charge while loaded.
Volvo Trucks also unveiled new electric and hydrogen powertrains and transport solutions, while DAF put forward a heavy-duty truck lineup equipped with an electric powertrain developed by U.S.-based PACCAR. Scania introduced a megawatt charging system (MCS) for electric trucks and buses, and Ford Trucks organized its booth around a pure-electric truck lineup.
Chinese commercial vehicle makers also pushed electrified commercial vehicles. Skyworth showcased the large electric truck "Z9" equipped with Level 4 Autonomous Driving technology, and SuperPanther displayed the eTopas 600, which began mass production for Europe in the second half of this year. Windrose, a Chinese mass-production startup, presented the E700 electric truck, developed with a target single-charge driving range of 670㎞.
They also put hydrogen commercial vehicles at the forefront. Dongfeng Motor Corporation exhibited the "FCV Long Haul" hydrogen truck, capable of up to 800㎞ on a single charge. Daimler Truck also unveiled a Mercedes-Benz Hydrogen Fuel Cell truck under development to achieve 1,000㎞ per charge.
Kia moved to target the electric light commercial vehicle (eLCV) market, led by the newly launched large electrified purpose-built vehicle (PBV) PV7. The PV7 was designed to respond to a range of customer needs, including cargo and passenger transport and specialty applications, by enlarging the body and cargo space compared with the PV5 released last year. Alongside it, various conversion models based on the PV5, such as a wheelchair-accessible vehicle (WAV) and a food truck, were also displayed.
Hall 13, where Kia set up its pavilion, features various global automakers displaying their LCVs, including Stellantis, Mercedes-Benz Vans, Chery CV, Renault, Ford, Maxus and Toyota. Bidirectional charging technology and AI-based automated transport technologies were also showcased.
Hankook Tire exhibited product lines applying its truck and bus tire technology system "SMATEC," along with a sustainable concept tire produced with 3D printing technology and a mobile robot applying a tri-axial spherical tire structure. The show hosts more than 766 parts suppliers.
The show also features test-drive and demonstration driving programs for 84 vehicles from 17 companies, including Tesla's Semi truck. Compared with the previous IAA 2024 exhibition, the scale of these test-drive programs is up 40%.