On April 24, 2025, as the core technological benchmark of the 21st Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition, the 8th International Automotive Key Technology Forum, jointly organized by the China Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE-China), Shanghai International Exhibition (Group) Co., Ltd., and Shanghai Auto Show Management Co., Ltd., grandly opened at the InterContinental Shanghai Hongqiao NECC.
The two-day forum featured one opening ceremony and seven sub-forums focusing on specialized technical fields. During the opening plenary session on the first morning, eight keynote speakers delivered two core addresses and six thematic speeches, delving into critical areas such as intelligent architecture, automotive-grade chips, and AI strategies. The discussions highlighted the interplay between Chinese and global automotive technology roadmaps and the synergy of the global supply chain, clearly outlining China’s automotive industry’s upgrade path from technological breakthroughs to ecosystem collaboration.
Technology-Driven Industry Transformation, Global Collaboration Deepens Innovation
In his opening remarks, Gu Chunting, Vice Chairman of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (Shanghai) and Chairman of Shanghai International Exhibition (Group) Co., Ltd., noted that among the 1,308 vehicles exhibited at the 2025 Shanghai Auto Show, over 70% were new energy vehicles (NEVs), with 163 debut models. The automotive technology and supply chain exhibition area spanned 100,000 square meters, attracting over 800 companies, including nearly 50 renowned global tech firms showcasing breakthroughs in energy transformation, electrification, domestic chip development, and end-to-end AI model applications.
Gu emphasized, “The boundaries of the automotive industry are being redrawn. The energy revolution and AI models will reshape the technological landscape. Only through open collaboration and cross-sector symbiosis can we secure the future.”
Hou Fushen, Executive Vice Chairman and Secretary-General of SAE-China, reviewed China’s automotive technological achievements during the 14th Five-Year Plan period: hybrid engine thermal efficiency exceeding 46%, battery energy density reaching 300Wh/kg, L2 ADAS adoption surging from 15% to 57.3%, and NEV market share climbing from 5.4% to 41%. He stated that the 15th Five-Year Plan period will be critical for tackling deep challenges in innovation, with cross-disciplinary advancements in new energy, materials, and computing technologies accelerating automotive tech evolution.
Hou also announced that the Technology Roadmap for Energy-Saving and New Energy Vehicles 3.0, revised over a year with input from 2,000+ experts, will be released at the SAE-China Annual Conference in October, serving as a blueprint for mid-to-long-term innovation.
Deep Restructuring: Electrification, Low-Carbon, and Intelligence
Zheng Yali, Assistant Secretary-General of SAE-China and Deputy Director of the National Automotive Strategy Institute, delivered a keynote speech titled “Future Trends in the Automotive Industry.” She outlined three transformative directions:
Low-carbon: Hydrogen engines and plug-in hybrids will coexist, with zero-carbon fuel engines needing breakthroughs in reliability and safety.
Electrification: Solid-state batteries will dominate next-gen tech, with small-scale production expected by 2030. Smart batteries will enhance safety via real-time monitoring.
Intelligence: AI will redefine autonomous decision-making, with end-to-end models and “world models” as key breakthroughs.
“AI will reshape cars into ‘embodied intelligent agents,’ driving full-chain digital transformation,” Zheng noted.
Liang Fenghua, Deputy General Manager of Changan Auto’s Intelligent Driving Research Institute, shared Changan’s “Tianshu AI Driving” strategy, prioritizing safety and investing ¥250 billion to integrate AI models and embodied intelligence. Plans include deploying LiDAR in ¥100,000-class models and extending autonomous tech to logistics/service robots.
Duan Zhifei, Senior Director of Embedded Platforms & Chief E/E Architect at XPeng, detailed its full-stack R&D approach, centering on the “Fuyao Architecture” with in-house AI chips and an OS-powered central computing platform. XPeng’s cloud-based training achieves industry-leading efficiency, iterating major AI versions every five days.
Ding Ding, VP of Products at Black Sesame Technologies, explained its dual-chip strategy: “Huashan” for autonomous computing (adopted by Geely and Dongfeng) and “Wudang” for integrated functionalities, reducing costs and development cycles.
Severin Bredahl-Banovic, VP of Solutions Architecture at HERE Technologies, highlighted how location intelligence and generative AI are redefining navigation, enabling vehicles to evolve into proactive “environment-aware” terminals.
Dr. Maria Alonso, Head of Autonomous Systems at the World Economic Forum’s Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, projected that L2/L2+ systems will dominate private vehicles for the next decade, with 4% of new cars achieving L4 by 2035. China, she noted, will lead L3/L4 adoption due to demand, policy, and supply chain advantages.
Sailing Toward the Future with Technology
The forum’s opening concluded successfully, with seven sub-forums and 71 sessions to follow, covering smart cabins, high-performance chips, solid-state batteries, and more, offering systematic solutions from R&D to commercialization.
Source: SAE-China · Exhibition News
Post time : Apr-25 11:35
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