Protesters at Munich car show call for sustainable mobility

Climate activists staged protests on the opening day of Germany's biggest annual motor show, IAA Mobility, in Munich on Tuesday, calling for more sustainable transport alternatives as carmakers began gathering in the Bavarian capital, reported dpa.

Activists dressed up as German Transport Minister Volker Wissing and representatives of German car companies lit a 1.5-degree sign - referring to the global target of limiting temperature rises to 1.5 degree Celsius - near the main entrance of the fair.

"Don't burn our future: mobility transition now," the signs by the anti-globalization group Attac read.

Shortly after, activists from Extinction Rebellion climbed into a large pond outside the fair venue and released black smoke, symbolizing exhaust fumes from cars, calling for an end to the IAA fair.

Police were on site but for the most part did not intervene.

The IAA Mobility fair is controversial, with various climate and environmental organizations criticizing it as a car lobby event.