BERLIN, Sept. 20 -- After a break induced by the COVID-19 pandemic, the IAA Transportation trade fair officially opened to the public on Tuesday. Under the slogan "People and Goods on the Move," the fair is hosted by the northern German city of Hanover until Sept. 25.

"The world's largest platform for transport and logistics restarts with a new innovative concept," which covers the entire transport and logistics spectrum, the organizers said. The focus of the fair, formerly known as IAA Commercial Vehicles, remains on light and heavy commercial vehicles.

More than 1,400 exhibitors from 42 countries and regions, almost two-thirds of them from abroad, present their innovations and products around topics such as climate protection and alternative drives, according to the organizers.

The fair "showcases the industry's innovative and sustainable solutions, which are already making an enormous contribution to climate protection, and it will also provide interesting outlooks into the future of transport and logistics," Hildegard Mueller, president of the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA), said at the opening event.

Around 60 heavy and light commercial vehicles are available for test drives and nearly 50 of them are alternatively powered, according to the IAA. Visitors can "see, try out and interact," the organizers said.

The German automotive and industrial supplier Schaeffler, a first-time exhibitor at IAA Transportation, presents a fuel cell-powered van, whose electric axle, fuel cell stack and energy management system were all developed in-house, according to the company.

"We are leveraging our innovative drive and chassis products to support the development of sustainable logistics," Klaus Rosenfeld, chief executive officer (CEO) of Schaeffler AG, said.

The exhibitors include many Chinese companies, such as SAIC MAXUS Automotive Co., Ltd., which presents a 7.5-ton truck, a van, and a pickup, all three fully electric.

"At the MAXUS premiere in Hanover, we are putting the spotlight on our growing range of electric vehicles with an all-electric booth," Jack Zhu, the general manager responsible for Europe at MAXUS parent company SAIC, said.

  - Xinhua