On 22 and 23 May, the 2025 Shanghai-Stuttgart Symposium offered a top-class program with exciting impulses, groundbreaking lectures and an inspiring panel discussion. International experts from industry and science came together in Shanghai to discuss key future mobility topics - from driving dynamics and diverse powertrain technologies to driver assistance systems and the increasing importance of artificial intelligence in vehicle development.
Keynote speech by Tina ZHOU: "Redefining China's Automotive Market Value"
A particular highlight of the day was the keynote speech by Tina ZHOU, CEO of Gasgoo. In her presentation, she gave an impressive account of how China's automotive market has developed into a global driver of innovation. With over 200 million skilled workers, a leading position in manufacturing and remarkable innovative strength, she underlined China's role as a global pacesetter in the industry.
Technological perspectives from research and industry
Over the course of the day, the following keynote speeches provided in-depth insights into current research priorities and strategic challenges:
- Prof. Dr.-Ing. Andreas Wagner (FKFS) spoke on the topic of “Future Challenges in Driving Dynamics”. He showed how the use of artificial intelligence in the chassis can help to efficiently meet increasing demands for comfort and safety.
- In his presentation “Powertrain Solutions and the Role of Diversity”, Prof. Dr.-Ing. André Kulzer (FKFS) explained why the diversity of powertrain technologies is crucial to achieving CO2 targets in the long term.
- In his keynote speech “Innovation and Practice of Dedicated Hybrid Transmission Configuration in China”, Prof. XU Xiangyang (Beihang University) looked back on China's technological development: from a learner (until 2018) to a technology leader from 2023 - with self-confident innovations in the field of hybrid drives.
- Prof. Martin Schuster (SAIC Volkswagen) highlighted the status of automated driving in China in his presentation “How China sets Trends in Assisted Driving”. Due to safety-related restrictions, Level 3 automated driving is not permitted there. Instead, high-performance Level 2+ and Level 2++ systems are used, which already enable functions such as “Park-to-Park”, autonomous parking from one parking garage to another. Schuster emphasized Volkswagen's strategy in China: “German engineering meets Chinese speed and expertise”.
Panel discussion: “How AI is reshaping the Automotive Industry - Opportunities and Challenges”
The first day concluded with a panel discussion in which German and Chinese experts debated the potential and challenges of artificial intelligence in vehicle development. The focus was on the question of how data-driven action can enable new capabilities in vehicles with the help of AI - for complex traffic situations, for example. The consensus was that the integration of AI requires a fundamentally new development process that questions and rethinks traditional structures. Here too, the aim remains to combine German precision with Chinese speed of implementation in order to bring innovations to the road faster and more reliably.
The participants were:
- HUANG Yanjun, Professor at Tongji University
- Prof. Dr.-Ing. Andreas Wagner, Member of the Board of Management of FKFS
- Prof. Dr.-Ing. André Casal Kulzer, Member of the Board of Management of FKFS
- Prof. Martin Schuster, Senior Director Research & Engineering, SAIC Volkswagen
- BI Lu, Assistant Vice President of NIO Electric Drive and High Voltage Systems Division
Today, 40 technical presentations on topics such as EV, Fuel Cell, Hydrogen, Battery, Connected Driving, Thermal Management and Aerodynamics followed.
The 2025 Shanghai-Stuttgart Symposium once again proved to be a successful platform for Sino-German collaboration - bringing together science and industry to jointly shape the future of mobility.