Gasgoo Munich-In 2026, China's automotive industry is entering a new inflection point. Domestic competition is shifting from scale expansion to a contest of technology, efficiency, and systemic capability. As intelligence and electrification deepen, AI is accelerating into core sectors like R&D, manufacturing, and services, driving a new round of technical and industrial restructuring.
The shift is global, too. As Chinese automakers deepen their globalization, they are taking technologies, products, and engineering capabilities proven in the domestic market overseas. At the same time, global OEMs, Tier 1 suppliers, and tech giants are ramping up R&D and innovation investment in China. The country is evolving from a key market into a critical hub for technological innovation, product development, and industrial validation.
Consequently, the boundaries of industry competition are expanding. Going global means navigating challenges like regulations, quality, cost, supply chains, and localized operations. Meanwhile, facing new technologies such as AI and intelligent driving forces companies to rethink product definitions, R&D models, and industry collaboration.
As the industry enters this period of restructuring, how can companies find new certainty? And how will the Chinese and global automotive sectors create new value through the interplay of competition and cooperation?
These are the core questions this conference aims to explore in depth.
Toward the New: Finding Certainty Amid Industrial Transformation
Amid rapid technological iteration and shifting competitive landscapes, the auto industry is moving from isolated innovations to systemic ones.
Breakthroughs in intelligent driving, smart cockpits, intelligent chassis, automotive-grade chips, software, and AI are pushing vehicles to evolve from traditional mechanical products into intelligent terminals with deeply integrated hardware and software. Simultaneously, new energy technologies are advancing: power batteries, electric drives, thermal management, and charging systems are upgrading, while manufacturing processes, material science, and supply chain synchronization undergo reconstruction.
The pace of technical innovation is accelerating, yet the key to sustained competitiveness remains the systemic ability to translate technology into products, and products into large-scale applications.
Together: From Global Competition to Global Collaboration
Globalization is entering a new phase.
Chinese automakers are accelerating their global push, while global players continue to strengthen their R&D and innovation footprints in China. More technical solutions are following a path of "developed in China, validated in China, applied globally," forging a tighter two-way connection between China and the global automotive industry.
Global markets are raising the bar. Moving from simple exports to localized R&D, manufacturing, supply chains, and operations—and from single-market entry to regional layouts—automakers must build more flexible global operational capabilities. Furthermore, navigating different regulations, cultures, user demands, and industrial ecosystems requires deeper localization capabilities and cooperative mechanisms for any global solution to achieve long-term success.
The Chinese automotive industry needs to elevate its capabilities through global competition, but also by building deeper partnerships with global OEMs, Tier 1 suppliers, tech firms, industrial institutions, and regional partners.
Beyond globalization, AI is emerging as one of the most critical variables in the automotive industry this year.
From smart cockpits to autonomous driving, and from R&D design to manufacturing operations, AI is permeating more core links of the industry. The rise of large models, AI Agents, and embodied intelligence is forcing automakers to rethink the relationship between software, data, computing power, and organizational capability. The impact of AI isn't just about adding new features; it has the potential to alter how automotive products are developed, how supply chains collaborate, and the very logic of corporate competition.
As AI begins to underpin the "technical base" of the automotive industry, what will define the next stage of competition? This will be a key focus of discussion at the forum.
Reflecting these shifts, the 14th Automotive and Environment Innovation Forum will adopt the theme "Toward the New, Together." Running alongside the 8th Golden Gear Awards, the event will facilitate an industry dialogue that moves from "seeing the changes" to "finding the answers."
For the specific agenda and registration details, please click the image above.
The conference will focus on:
Seeing the World — What stage is the global automotive industry in, and what role is China playing within it?
Understanding Competition — How is the industry shifting from domestic scale battles to global value and operational quality competition?
Understanding Boundaries — As Chinese automakers go global, what regulatory, localization, quality, organizational, and delivery hurdles must they clear?
Understanding Technology — How is AI reshaping the technical foundation and competitive rules of the automotive industry?
Understanding Partners — How can the Chinese automotive industry innovate alongside global OEMs, supply chains, tech firms, and regional partners?
The forum will bring together OEMs, parts suppliers, tech companies, industrial institutions, and expert representatives. Together, they will explore the certainty and new value of the industry's next stage across multiple dimensions, including technology, markets, globalization, and industrial collaboration.
Finding certainty in restructuring; creating new value through connection.
On October 23, in Shanghai's Jiading District, the 14th Automotive and Environment Innovation Forum looks forward to gathering with industry peers to witness, understand, and navigate these changes—identifying the directions truly worth investing in for the next phase.
