INTERMOT in Cologne, Germany last week broke all records to-date for its show performance. The international business and event trade fair for motorcycles and scooters presented around 40 premiers of the vehicle manufacturers. With an attendance of over 220,000 visitors from 95 countries, considerably more biker fans poured into the Cologne fair grounds than ever before.

“INTERMOT 2016 was a mega event with outstanding results,” said Gerald Böse, president and CEO of Koelnmesse. “We have heralded in a new era with new concepts and especially with the integration of the customizing world, underpinned by individuality, emotionality and enthusiasm.”

INTERMOT 2016 was also a total success for Reiner Brendicke, Managing Director of the IVM: “The excellent attendance result, for example with more trade visitors from Italy, proves that the industry is innovative and future-oriented. The industry has put the trends of the era into practice with new models and concepts – towards more individuality and alternatives for young beginners. The youth is re-discovering the motorized two-wheeler, whether in the form of urban mobility or as an expression of a lifestyle.”

More than 1,100 exhibiting companies from 40 countries presented new and existing products at INTERMOT 2016, a 17 percent increase compared to the previous event. “The high number of premiers and the worldwide media response, particularly in the online and viral media, underline the significance of INTERMOT as the most important meeting point of the motorcycle community. The industry and the scene always meet up at the most important spot and that is Cologne for the motorcycle world,” said Katharina C. Hamma, COO of Koelnmesse.

With the show-in-show concepts, INTERMOT customized and INTERMOT e-motion, INTERMOT set new benchmarks for the future-oriented development of a motorcycle trade fair. Here trends and themes that move the consumers were brought to life and correspondingly addressed by the industry. In this way, INTERMOT customized stands for a rapidly growing trend towards the individualization of one’s own bike, which reflects the personal lifestyle and demands of the driver. Over 100 companies presented their products at the premier of INTERMOT customized – from unusual conversions to scene-oriented furniture and accessories. There were additional highlights in the INTERMOT customized section, like the AMD Championship of Custom Bike Building with their spectacular conversions, the bikes and the 1/8 mile race of the Essenza and the Sultans of Sprint or the Garage Area, where professionals worked on project bikes.

The unique combination between manufacturer presentations, spectacular show and motor sport as well as an attractive interactive program ensured full exhibition halls and an atmosphere five days long. The exhibiting companies of INTERMOT were accordingly satisfied. Headed by BMW, Ducati, Harley-Davidson, Honda, Horex, Kawasaki, KTM, Kymco, the Piaggio Group, Polaris, Suzuki, Triumph and Yamaha, the manufacturers presented numerous premiers and impressed both the international trade and the interested public.

The INTERMOT e-Motion, the segment for electric two-wheelers and drive technologies, presented the new products in the field of urban mobility and active leisure time activities. The exhibitors were delighted with the high number of visitors and the discussions with the trade visitors and public. Whereas pedelecs and e-bikes have already been successfully introduced within the sports bike sector, the e-roller is becoming a stronger focus of the public as a mobile alternative, especially in the urban environment. Boasting over 15,000 test drives, the test course for e-rollers and e-bikes/pedelecs was correspondingly well-frequented at this year’s INTERMOT e-Motion. INTERMOT 2016 also received top marks for the newly created “Boulevard of Touring” and the “Area 4,” which specifically focused on the quad and ATV scene.

INTERMOT not only fascinated the visitors with elaborate presentations in the exhibition halls, the visitors could also jump into action themselves throughout the entire outdoor space of Koelnmesse and test brand new models in all vehicle segments. There were also corresponding campaign areas for beginners without a driving license and kids.

With over 220,000 visitors from 95 countries, INTERMOT 2016 set a new record – with the best weekend in the history of INTERMOT. At 26 percent, the share of trade visitors among all attendees was extremely high again, as was the share of foreign trade visitors at around 42 percent. Significant increases were particularly recorded in the number of trade visitors from North and South America as well as from Asia. INTERMOT registered a remarkable increase in the number of European trade visitors from Italy (plus 8 percent), Belgium (plus 10 percent) and France (plus 7 percent).

INTERMOT 2016 in figures:
1,133 companies from 40 countries took part at INTERMOT 2016, 67 percent of whom came from abroad. Including estimates for the last day of the fair, over 220,000 purchasers and visitors from 95 countries attended INTERMOT 2016. The share of trade visitors was around 26 percent, 42 percent of them came from abroad.

The next INTERMOT will take place from October 3-7, 2018.

Statements from exhibiting OEMs:

Stephan Schaller, CEO BMW Motorcycles
“We are delighted that we had the opportunity to more or less open this INTERMOT, because our press presentation was the first one on the agenda. Of course, it is totally important for us to have the right platform and we are indeed the only manufacturer in Germany that produces noteworthy volumes in the premium section. As such, INTERMOT Cologne is the most important basis for us to communicate and present our products. We are very grateful that the trade fair exists. Of course, I would prefer it if the two trade fairs weren’t scheduled so close to each other, if I may say so. But INTERMOT did a good job there. If Eicma succeeds in being staged every two years, we would have a big trade fair every year – one in Italy and one in Germany – that would of course be better from our point of view.”

Marcel Driessen, Managing Director Ducati Motor Germany
“INTERMOT is of course very important for us in Germany, here by us, because Ducati is at home in Cologne. Of course, we want to try and further expand Ducati in Germany, we had a record year last year and it is thus accordingly important for us to have this premiere here on our doorstep. We also saw at the presentation by Claudio Dominicali of our world premieres, Supersport and Supersport S, that the people stayed for a long time despite the late hour and that there were lots of visitors and we are delighted – the product goes down well, the price is right and we are looking optimistically ahead into the future.”

Dr. Christian Arnezeder, Managing Director, Harley-Davidson Germany GmbH
“For us at Harley-Davidson, INTERMOT is a really, really important leading trade fair, both internationally and from a European point of view. This is also noticeable at the press conferences held today. We have seen very many new products and it is thus totally clear that it is THE leading trade fair in Germany, but that it also has a wide European footprint. We know ourselves from our environment that a lot of colleagues have come over from England and are enjoying the fact that really all of the new products are in one place. So, it is fantastic for us to be here.”

Rudolf Harrer, Vice President, Honda Germany subsidiary of Honda Motor Europe Ltd.
“For a global company like Honda, a leading international trade fair like INTERMOT here in Cologne is of course very, very important. I think the fact that we are presenting two world premieres here underlines this very well, so INTERMOT is correspondingly important for us here in Germany.
INTERMOT Cologne represents the largest motorcycle and scooter trade fair in Germany and the largest fun market in Europe – i.e. for big motorcycles with high engine capacities. This is why it is very, very important for us to be present here, to show our colours and present the new products and new technologies for the coming season to the consumers and the media. In short, INTERMOT is our start into the year 2017, which will hopefully be a very, very good one.

Martin Driehaus, Team Director Marketing Kawasaki Motors Europe N.V., German branch
“INTERMOT is of extremely high importance for Kawasaki, the fact that we have presented so many new products here, four new world premieres to be precise, alone underlines this. Europe is Kawasaki’s most important market and Germany is one of the biggest in Europe, so INTERMOT is very, very important for Kawasaki. We also think that as a motorcycle market especially Germany also deserves its own global leading trade fair and that is why we really, really enjoy being here.”

Hubert Trunkenpolz, CSO, KTM Sportmotorcycle AG
“In exactly the same way that the German market is the most important European market for KTM, INTERMOT is a very, very important trade fair for KTM. I think one can also see from the magnitude of our presence here how important it is. It is an international trade fair and that is also the reason why we held our press conference in English. But it is an international trade fair and that is why we really, really like being here.”

Gerald Federl, Managing Director, MSA Motor Sport Accessoires GmbH
“It is of course a very important event for us, we meet up with our dealers here every two years, who attend in high numbers, as well as many end consumers, who take a look at the products, not only new products, but also existing products, because we always exhibit a wide range of vehicles. For KYMCO it is a very important trade fair, this is clearly identifiable from the fact that KYMCO decided to present the AK550 – the new generation of the super touring scooter – here in Germany, this year in 2016.”

Ulrich Schäfer, Managing Director, D/A Polaris Germany GmbH
“As a new member of the IVM, our aim was to really nail our colours to the flag this year. We are represented here by our motorcycle brands Indian and Victory and with our Polaris off-road vehicles and the Slingshot, what’s more on diverse special zones and at the stands of cooperation partners. As such, INTERMOT is very, very important for us and as in every INTERMOT year – it is our most important trade fair in Germany and Europe and as you can see from the presence of our colleagues from the USA, perhaps even worldwide.”

Gerald Steinmann, Group Leader Marketing and Public Relations, SUZUKI Germany GmbH
“I think, what we have seen here today demonstrates the standing of the event – we presented five world premieres – GSX R 125, GSX S 750, GSX R 1000, DL 1000, DL 650, in other words a very big field. INTERMOT Cologne is a leading trade fair for us, it continues to be international, high quality, high quality journalists, a good service also in terms of the trade fair event itself. We were allowed to try out something new and very elaborate with pyrotechnics – there is great degree of flexibility, a super partnership. As far as we are concerned it can continue like this and what it simply confirms to us is: What we present here is always approved by the parent company of course and our parent company focuses on Cologne.”

Natalie Kavafyan, General Manager Germany & Austria, Triumph Motorcycles Germany GmbH
“INTERMOT is of course very, very important for Triumph. We have the biggest stand here in our entire history. Why is this so? On the one hand, we have in the meantime very many different models and need the space to exhibit them all, plus Germany is of course a very strategic market for us, where we see an extremely high growth potential and INTERMOT is simply THE trade fair in Germany, so of course we also had to be represented here and present ourselves accordingly. And we were delighted that we were able to be here today and coming from Cologne it is particularly very specially for me.”

Jörg Breitenfeld, Country Manager Germany, YAMAHA Motor Germany GmbH
“INTERMOT is of course a very, very important event for us. New products – including also world premieres – are presented here, which are extremely important for the European market. As a German importer, INTERMOT is an extremely important event for us, but we have also succeeded in projecting the importance for the Germany market onto the European market too.”