Swiss explorer, psychiatrist and clean-technology advocate Dr. Bertrand Piccardnwill deliver the keynote address at the Automechanika Frankfurt 2026, organizers have announced.
The event, an international automotive aftermarket trade fair, will take place from Sept. 8 to 12, 2026, in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. The CEO Breakfast will open the event on Sept. 8 in the Panorama Room at the Forum.
Piccard is known for the first non-stop balloon circumnavigation of the world and for Solar Impulse, the first round-the-world flight in a solar-powered aircraft. His latest project, Climate Impulse, is intended to complete the first non-stop, zero-emission round-the-world flight powered by liquid hydrogen.
His keynote will focus on innovation, sustainable technology and the business opportunities tied to environmental transformation. It will occur during the third annual CEO Breakfast.
The programme will begin with breakfast and networking at 7:00 a.m., followed by a welcome at 7:30 a.m. and a fireside chat with Piccard at 7:35 a.m. A moderated CEO Talk with industry representatives is scheduled from 7:50 a.m. to 8:25 a.m., followed by networking until 9:00 a.m.
Representatives from Aumovio, Castrol, Continental, Mann+Hummel, Schaeffler and ZF are expected to take part in the CEO Talk. The discussion will focus on transformation, sustainable mobility, technology development and new business models in the international automotive aftermarket.
The broader Automechanika Frankfurt programme will focus on innovation, transformation, sustainability, training and recruiting. The 2026 schedule includes forums and events covering software-defined vehicles, ADAS, automated driving, cybersecurity, electric mobility, alternative fuels, AI, digital transformation, remanufacturing and body and paint.
The event includes several areas tied directly to shop operations and future repair requirements, with body and paint, diagnostics and repair, parts and components, EV competence and remanufacturing competence among its key product and special-interest areas.
The 2026 event will also include Collision Talk, a forum focused on issues affecting the body and paint sector. The Future Mobility Workshop will cover technologies such as AI, robotics, extended reality, automation and digitalization, while the new HighTech4Mobility forum will cover software-defined vehicles, ADAS, automated driving and cybersecurity.
The previous Automechanika Frankfurt, held in 2024, attracted about 4,200 exhibitors from 80 countries and 108,000 visitors from 172 countries.
Registration for the CEO Breakfast is available online.
