Last September's Frankfurt Motor Show did not go very well, despite the fact the Porsche Taycan, Audi RS6 Avant, and Volkswagen ID.3 all had their official debuts. Overall attendance was down to 550,000 visitors. In 2017, that figure was 810,000 for the bi-annual event. Needless to say, the Verband der Automobilindustrie (VDA) was less than thrilled. In late January, they announced that after 70 years the show will leave Frankfurt for another city in 2021. The list of German cities was narrowed down to Berlin, Hamburg, and Munich.

Today, a new host city has been chosen: Munich. Why Munich? The VDA said the city's close proximity to many of Germany's main automakers was a huge factor. BMW, in particular, is ecstatic because it's headquartered in the city.

But more importantly, the VDA realizes Germany's premier auto show needs to evolve in order to remain relevant. Keeping it in Frankfurt with the same model wasn't an option.

"The IAA will evolve from an automotive to a mobility platform. In addition to the fascination with cars, it should be the initial spark that the host city will develop into a smart city with intelligent traffic concepts and innovative networking of modes of transport - sustainable and geared to people's needs. Munich and the concept of the city offer the best conditions for this - and thus for the restart of the IAA," said the VDA board.

Munich city officials, as part of their winning pitch, plan to open the city center and other nearby sites as locations to showcase a future smart city with new technologies like intelligent traffic and multi-vehicle networking on display. What has still yet to be announced are the show's official dates.

Frankfurt and Paris alternated years with the shows being held in September. Paris is up again this coming September, so there's still plenty of time to lock down the Munich show's official dates. More than likely, it will also take place during the same month. The official press release goes on to state an official contract between the VDA and the Bavarian capital will be signed in the next few weeks.