Executive Summary: Fresh insights from IAA Mobility 2025 in Munich reveal a paradigm shift in urban transportation. With 748 exhibitors from 37 countries and 116 Chinese companies leading eVTOL and autonomous vehicle innovation, the critical missing piece becomes clear: indoor navigation infrastructure. As micro cars, drones, and autonomous charging networks converge on airports and mobility hubs, sophisticated wayfinding technology emerges as the backbone enabling this transportation revolution.
Walking through IAA MOBILITY Munich 2025 over the past two days, the future of transportation becomes tangible. Asian manufacturers dominated the exhibition halls with micro cars barely larger than golf carts, eVTOL aircraft promising 15-minute city-to-airport journeys, and autonomous delivery drones that could revolutionize last-mile logistics. The scale is unprecedented: 748 exhibitors from 37 countries, with a record 57% international participation.
What struck me most during my visits was not just the vehicles themselves, but the infrastructure challenges they represent. Chinese manufacturers like BYD EUROPE , XPENG Deutschland , and Leapmotor showcased complete ecosystems—not just vehicles, but charging networks, autonomous parking systems, and integrated mobility platforms. Yet every solution revealed the same critical gap: how do passengers seamlessly transition from indoor spaces to these new mobility options?
The 116 Chinese companies at IAA represent more than market expansion—they signal a fundamental shift in how urban mobility connects with indoor infrastructure. When an eVTOL lands on an airport rooftop or a micro car awaits in a underground charging station, passengers need precise indoor navigation to complete their journey.
The eVTOL revolution showcased at IAA depends entirely on charging infrastructure—and here's where indoor navigation becomes mission-critical. During my conversations with manufacturers, a pattern emerged: every autonomous vehicle, from micro cars to delivery drones, requires sophisticated charging coordination within complex indoor environments.
Consider the operational reality: an autonomous taxi arrives at an airport's multi-level charging facility. Passengers need to locate their ride among dozens of similar vehicles across multiple floors. Simultaneously, the vehicle must navigate to its designated charging bay, while passengers find their way from terminal gates to pickup points. Without precise indoor positioning, this entire ecosystem breaks down.
The economic implications are staggering. China's eVTOL sector alone received orders for 190 aircraft from 4 customers* in recent months. Each aircraft requires charging infrastructure integrated with passenger flow systems. The multiplication effect across thousands of vehicles creates an indoor navigation demand that current airport infrastructure simply cannot support.
The convergence of autonomous vehicles and indoor spaces demands a new class of positioning technology. Traditional GPS fails the moment vehicles enter parking structures or passengers move between terminals and mobility hubs. The $31.4 billion indoor location market by 2029 reflects this urgent infrastructure need that IAA Munich 2025 brought into sharp focus.
Visual Positioning Systems (VPS) emerge as the critical enabler for this mobility ecosystem. By utilizing computer vision and machine learning, VPS technology provides centimeter-level positioning accuracy in any indoor environment. For the autonomous vehicles showcased at IAA, this means seamless navigation from outdoor pickup points to indoor charging stations, while passengers simultaneously navigate to their designated meeting points.
The practical challenges became clear during IAA demonstrations. Chinese manufacturer EHang (NASDAQ: EH) showcased eVTOL aircraft capable of 15-minute airport transfers, but the passenger experience depends entirely on seamless indoor navigation. From terminal gates to rooftop landing pads, passengers need real-time guidance that accounts for security checkpoints, elevator access, and weather-dependent route changes.
Similarly, the micro cars displayed by Asian manufacturers—some barely 2.5 meters long—require precise indoor parking and charging coordination. When hundreds of these vehicles operate simultaneously in multi-level airport facilities, both vehicles and passengers need sophisticated positioning systems to prevent chaos and ensure efficiency.
The insights from IAA Munich 2025 confirm what industry leaders have long recognized: the future of urban mobility depends on sophisticated indoor positioning infrastructure. Carsten Szameitat, CEO of aryve.com and President of the Location Based Marketing Association, has been advocating for this integration since before the current eVTOL boom made it an urgent necessity.
"Walking through IAA Munich these past two days, seeing 116 Chinese companies showcase everything from micro cars to charging drones, one thing became crystal clear," notes Szameitat. "The bottleneck isn't the vehicles—it's the indoor infrastructure that connects passengers to these new mobility options. Without precise indoor navigation, this entire revolution stalls at the parking garage entrance."
The timeline revealed at IAA Munich 2025 is aggressive. Chinese eVTOL companies are targeting 2025 for urban short-range deployments and 2035 for comprehensive uncrewed air transportation systems. European and American manufacturers are moving on similar timelines. Airport operators have perhaps 18 months to implement indoor navigation infrastructure before the first commercial eVTOL services begin demanding integration.
The complexity multiplies rapidly. Each autonomous vehicle type—from micro cars to delivery drones—requires different charging infrastructure, parking configurations, and passenger interfaces. The 350+ world premieres at IAA represent hundreds of new mobility solutions that airports must accommodate. Without unified indoor positioning systems, each integration becomes a separate technical challenge rather than a scalable platform solution.
IAA Munich 2025 provided an unambiguous message: the urban mobility revolution is accelerating beyond current infrastructure capabilities. With 748 exhibitors showcasing immediate deployment timelines and 116 Chinese companies leading rapid commercialization, airports face an infrastructure crisis that demands immediate action.
The solution requires coordinated industry response. Airport operators must prioritize indoor positioning infrastructure in their capital planning. Technology vendors need to accelerate VPS deployment capabilities. Regulatory bodies must establish standards that accommodate both human passengers and autonomous vehicles within the same indoor spaces.
The $31.4 billion indoor location market represents more than economic opportunity—it's the foundation investment enabling the $500+ billion autonomous mobility ecosystem showcased at IAA Munich. Airports that implement comprehensive indoor navigation infrastructure now position themselves as mobility hubs for the next decade. Those that delay face obsolescence as passenger expectations and vehicle capabilities outpace their infrastructure.
About the Author:
This analysis draws on industry expertise and research from leading practitioners in indoor navigation and location-based services. Carsten Szameitat serves as CEO of aryve (aryve.com), developing next-generation VPS technology for complex indoor environments, and President of the Location Based Marketing Association, fostering industry collaboration and standards development in location-based services.
For more information about future-forward indoor navigation solutions and industry developments, visit aryve.com or connect with the Location Based Marketing Association community.
* Urban Air Mobility News (January 7, 2025)