German trade body VDA announced that Munich will succeed Frankfurt as host of the biennial International Motor Show, starting from 2021.

Munich was among the shortlisted cities, along with Hamburg and Berlin, and managed to convince VDA by turning its city center and close to the city locations into attractive places for the IAA.

“These locations are to be connected to the exhibition centre via a transfer route including priority tracks for environmentally friendly vehicles,” said the VDA in its announcement.

Read More: The Frankfurt Motor Show Says Goodbye… To Frankfurt

“The IAA will evolve from an automotive to a mobility platform”, the announcement continued. “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.”

Frankfurt will no longer be the home of the IAA (German acronym for International Automobile Exhibition) after almost 70 years. The show was most recently targeted by protests while major brands decided to not attend, leading to a 30 percent decrease in visitor numbers, down to 560,000.

The VDA’s contract with Frankfurt ended last year, opening the way for a change, not only geographically but also in the concept of one of the biggest Motor Shows on the planet.

Traditional motor shows are under pressure at the moment, as more and more manufacturers argue whether the huge costs of exhibiting their latest products reflect their gains from the offered exposure.

The news of the Frankfurt Motor Show moving to the Bavarian capital sparked an enthusiastic reaction from BMW on its social media, as Munich is the brand’s home town.