World Intelligent Vehicle Conference 2021 Helps Shape te Future of the Vehicle Industry
The World Intelligent Vehicle Conference 2021 was held in Nansha, Guangzhou on December 16-17. Organized by the International Cooperation Center of the National Development and Reform Commission, The People’s Government of Guangzhou Municipality, and Asia Digital Group, and undertaken by Guangzhou Municipal Development and Reform Commission, Nansha District People's Government of Guangzhou Municipality, and ADG Expo Co., Ltd., the two-day World Intelligent Vehicle Conference 2021 drew over 100 domestic and foreign government representatives, experts and scholars, business leaders, investment representatives, etc. Centering on the theme of “A New Chapter of ICV”, participants delivered speeches at the opening ceremony and main conference, 10 parallel forums, and a range of outfield activities. Participants discussed the latest trends in the global intelligent vehicle field, and the future of the intelligent vehicle industry.
Join hands to create a blueprint for the future
We observe an irresistible trend in the evolution of the automotive sector when intelligent vehicles become the highlight, a hot topic and the focus. When resources are pooled together, accelerated exploration and development become a foregone conclusion. It becomes all the more important to pool wisdom and pick the best course of action.
At the opening ceremony and main conference of the World Intelligent Vehicle Conference 2021, the leaders of the National Development and Reform Commission and The People’s Government of Guangzhou Municipality delivered speeches. Liu Jianxing, deputy director of the International Cooperation Center of the National Development and Reform Commission; Dong Ke, director of Nansha District, Guangzhou; Hugo Shong, Founding Chairman of IDG Capital; Zhu Dongfang, president of Asia Digital Group; Ouyang Minggao, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, an expert in new energy power system; Shi Dinghuan, a former counselor of the State Council, former Secretary-General of the Ministry of Science and Technology, chairman of The Investment Association of China，IAC, chairman of the World Green Design Organization; Liu Yan, deputy Secretary-General of China Association of Automobile Manufacturers（CAAM）; Gu Yu, a professor of the Goethe University Frankfurt in Germany and a foreign member of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences (RANS); Dong Yang, China EV100 Vice Chairman; Wu Song, executive vice president of GAC Group Co., Ltd.; Wang Xiaogang, president of Mobile Intelligence Group, Co-founder, SenseTime; Han Xu, founder & CEO of WeRide; Huang Hongsheng, founder of Skyworth Group and Chairman of Skywell New Energy Automobile Group; Liu Junfeng, vice president of iFLYTEK Co.Ltd.，general manager of Automotive BU, iFLYTEK，and general manager of Galaxy Autotech. Co.,Ltd; He Kaixin, vice-president & CTO of HYCAN Automotive Technology Co.,Ltd; Li Hengyu, vice president of Pony.ai and Head of Pony.ai`s Robotruck Business Unit; Jim Wunderman, president and CEO of the Bay Area Council; Karl Fuchs, vice president, Innovation & Technology China, Continental, and other important guests shared their opinions and suggestions for development.
Hugo Shong gave a keynote address via video link, stating that the intelligent vehicle industry has the characteristics of high capital and technology added value, strong influence on other areas, etc., and occupies an important strategic position in the global market. As an investor, IDG Capital aspires to foster more innovative unicorn companies. It is hoped that representatives would brainstorm and build consensus, as well as cooperate and work hard in areas such as building an internationally influential auto brand, enhancing chip supply, and application in certain scenarios.
Ouyang Minggao stated his hope in the speech that the concept of intelligent vehicles be extended to intelligent automobiles in a broad sense, promoting the intelligent revolution in an all-round way. Becoming intelligent is the most important means for all-round automotive innovation. The World Intelligent Vehicle Conference is held in Guangzhou, a city in the Greater Bay Area. It is a suitable location. The Greater Bay Area is the most dynamic place for technological innovation, as well as a prominent area for economic development, reform and opening up. It has benefits in terms of competent personnel and industries, especially in sectors related to intelligent vehicles. I believe that the World Intelligent Vehicle Conference held here will help the Greater Bay Area play a major role in promoting the development of intelligent vehicles and the application of artificial intelligence to vehicles.
Gu Yu delivered a speech entitled “The Evolution of Artificial Intelligence Technology: from ‘Perceptual Intelligence’ to ‘Cognitive Intelligence’”. Because smart devices are driven by the human mind, the vehicles are now called man-machine interaction, rather than man-machine fusion. The goal of man-machine fusion is to fully integrate the human and the machine. Perception is a type of perception that people obtain by gathering these things and processing with their brains. The process by which people use, comprehend, and develop knowledge is known as cognition. The two are not the same. The vehicle will be truly intelligent if we get from perceptual intelligence to cognitive intelligence one day.
In the speech entitled “The Selection of "Decarbonization" Track for Auto Enterprises to Achieve Dual Carbon Goals”, Wu Song remarked that the “dual-carbon” goals are promoting the automotive vehicles to become intelligent, connected and electrically powered. As vehicles become electrically powered, the industrial chain is decarbonized, necessitating a greater emphasis on a well-coordinated low-carbon supply chain. New energy vehicles are increasingly being integrated into the green energy ecosystem. GAC Group is forging ahead with the Green Low-carbon for Achieving Sustainable Success (GLASS) plan. The investment focus will shift from transforming traditional vehicles into hybrid vehicles to new energy intelligent connected vehicles.
The intelligent vehicle development and cooperation are discussed from a global perspective. Jim Wunderman gave a speech via video link. He pointed out that the Bay Area is not only one of the fastest-growing regions for new energy vehicle market, but also a region for the robust development of the new energy vehicle industry. The Bay Area is where the future of the intelligent vehicle industry lies.
Cornerstone of the industry
At the opening ceremony and the main conference, heavy-hitter attendees addressed the top-level plans for intelligent vehicles. Guests shared insights and views on different areas from different perspectives at the parallel forums.
At the ten parallel forums, that is, “ R&D and Application of Global Key Technologies of ICV”, “Chinese Vehicles Stand Out the World by Auto Vision China”, “Softwares Boost International Competitiveness”, “Improve IOV with Data Security and Regulations”, “Explore the Development of Independent Brand Vehicles”, “Exploration of Business Application for Autonomous Driving”, “A New Journey of Dual Carbon Goals for Vehicles”, “Cooperative Vehicle Infrastructure Leads the Development of Autonomous Driving”, “Development Opportunity of ICV and Supply Chain in Greater Bay Area”, and “Evolution and Future Trend Market of New Energy Vehicles”, participates shared insightful thoughts about the intelligent vehicle industry, brainstormed solutions, and analyzed critical issues and important trend.
At the conference, we can sense the pulse of global development, and see Guangzhou’s development speed. Guangzhou is working to promote the large-scale development of intelligent vehicles and new energy vehicles. In 2020, Guangzhou ranked first in China in the automotive industry, with a total output value of 586.026 billion yuan. From January to November 2021, its total output value increased by 3.3 percent, to 538.303 billion yuan. Over 120,000 new energy vehicles were registered, an increase of 81.9 percent. Guangzhou boasts 13 national and provincial technology and manufacturing innovation centers in the automotive industry. It ranks top in China in terms of test open section mileage, road test licenses for autonomous driving, 5G base stations, among other things. It is the first Chinese city to recognize intelligent vehicle road test licenses from other regions. Nansha District in Guangzhou is in a league of its own in the automobile sector, with Huangge International Auto Town in the north, the Pearl Bay Intelligent Connected Vehicle Innovation Zone in the central region, and the Wanqingsha Intelligent Connected Vehicle Industrial Park in the south. It has formed a development pattern in which GAC Toyota is the leader, new energy vehicles are the extension, and intelligent networked vehicles are the expanded area. The car production capacity has topped 800,000 units, and the output value has surpassed 100 billion yuan for four straight years. It is stepping up a gear to establish a new 100 billion yuan-level new energy vehicle industrial cluster.
Furthermore, the Industrial Development Closed-door Meeting of the World Intelligent Vehicle Conference 2021 was also held. Experts, scholars, investors, entrepreneurs and others discussed the planning of the intelligent vehicle industry in Guangzhou in the areas such as intelligent vehicle ecosystem industry chain, and intelligent manufacturing, and made suggestions for the future development of Nansha automobile cluster.
A new chapter of ICV
World Intelligent Vehicle Conference is a multi-faceted platform, presenting ideas and wisdom, as well as opportunities.
At the conference site, the exhibits include the latest models, technologies, and products, presenting a wealth of innovative intelligent vehicle products with breakthroughs and high application value, such as electric vehicles, sensors, chips, computing platforms, autonomous driving solutions, V2X communications, and artificial intelligence. The “ Research Report of Intelligent Vehicle Industry 2021” examines the current state and future trends of the intelligent vehicle industry in five sections: plan for the intelligent vehicle industry, intelligent vehicles application scenarios and business models, global development status of intelligent vehicles, industrial cooperation and investment, and outlook and practice towards 2030. Moreover, the Intelligent Vehicle Industry Awards 2021 was presented in five categories: WIV Intelligent Vehicle Technology Innovation Award, WIV Intelligent Networking Innovation Award, WIV Intelligent Transport Innovation Award, WIV Intelligent Vehicle Brand Innovation Award, and WIV Superior Service of Intelligent Vehicle Industry Award.
As an important outfield activity of the World Intelligent Vehicle Conference for attracting investment to Guangzhou, the Project Matchmaking Business Meeting aims to integrate and utilize project information, build a cooperation platform, increase services, facilitate the communications between governments, enterprises, and investment institutions, promote project cooperation, and attract more high-quality projects to Guangzhou. At the same time, this conference also demonstrates the introduction of competent personnel in the field of intelligent vehicles. Leading brands of intelligent vehicles expressed demand for high-end professional talents in the course of beneficial development.
The World Intelligent Vehicle Conference 2021 has concluded successfully, but it has provided ideas, clarified the development direction of the industry, promoted diverse exchanges, and fostered extensive cooperation, all of which give an impetus to the development of the intelligent vehicle industry.
