Stuttgart, Germany — Xiaoying Zhou, CEO and Editor-in-Chief of Gasgoo, was invited to speak at the 2026 Stuttgart International Symposium on Automotive and Powertrain Technology, where she delivered a keynote presentation titled "China's Automotive Momentum: From Market Scale to System-Level Innovation." She also joined a high-level panel discussion with executives from leading global automotive companies to explore the future of Sino-German automotive collaboration.
Recognized as one of Europe's leading forums for automotive and powertrain technologies, the symposium brought together automakers, suppliers, technology providers, researchers, and industry experts to discuss the latest developments in electrification, intelligent mobility, powertrain innovation, and the future of the automotive industry.
During her keynote, Zhou shared Gasgoo's long-term observations of China's automotive industry, highlighting how the country's competitive advantages are evolving beyond market scale and manufacturing efficiency toward system-level innovation driven by electrification, intelligent technologies, supply chain collaboration, and ecosystem development.
She noted that this transformation is reshaping China's role in the global automotive industry while creating new opportunities for international collaboration across technology, manufacturing, and industrial ecosystems.
Following the keynote, Zhou joined the panel discussion "How Can We Combine China's Automotive Momentum with German Accuracy and Precision?", moderated by André Kulzer.
The panel brought together leading industry executives, including Otmar Scharrer, Senior Vice President R&D E-Mobility at ZF Group; Ragnar Burenius, Corporate New Product Line Leader at Horse Powertrain; Arnd Franz, CEO of MAHLE GmbH; and Philipp Franke, Head of Department 5: Mobility Hub, Connected and Digital Mobility at the Ministry of Transport Baden-Württemberg.
The discussion explored how China's rapid pace of innovation and customer-centric development can complement Germany's strengths in engineering excellence, product quality, and brand trust. Panelists agreed that competition and collaboration can coexist in today's global automotive industry, while digitalization has become a fundamental expectation rather than a competitive advantage. They also emphasized that long-term success depends not on bringing products to market first, but on delivering the right products at the right time. As customer expectations continue to evolve across global markets, combining China's innovation momentum with Germany's engineering precision will create new opportunities for international collaboration and sustainable growth.
