Chongqing - The 2024 China Auto Chongqing Summit, an annual event in the auto industry, took place at Chongqing Yuelai International Convention Center on Thursday. 

The opening ceremony of the 2024 China Auto Chongqing Summit. (Photo/ 2024 China Auto Chongqing Summit)

Bridging News interviewed several international attendees, including Andrei Serkov, Managing Partner of Global SIB China Expo; Birgit Murr, Consul (Commercial Affairs) of Austrian Consulate General Chengdu Commercial Section; and Yoav Haimi, Minister Counselor, Head of Trade and Investment Mission at Embassy of Israel in Beijing.

Themed "Shaping the Future of an Industry in Transition," the summit drew over 100 global industry elites and discussed hot topics like new energy, intelligent networking, AGI industrialization, investment trends, supply chains, and exports. The event garnered unprecedented attention and scale.

At the opening ceremony, Jiang Duntao, Vice Mayor of Chongqing, emphasized Chongqing's key role in China's automotive industry. In Q1, the city's domestic production surged by 6.2%, largely driven and supported by the automotive sector. 

Jiang Duntao, Vice Mayor of Chongqing, presented at the opening ceremony of the 2024 China Auto Chongqing Summit on Thursday. (Photo/ 2024 China Auto Chongqing Summit)

From January to April, the city produced 800,000 automobiles, including 230,000 new energy vehicles, a 1.2-fold increase from the previous year.

Li Qi, Vice President of the China Machinery Industry Federation, underscored challenges hindering the high-quality development of the new energy vehicle industry. These include pressing issues in battery technology, such as safety and low-temperature degradation, alongside the industry's high cost, which poses risks to enterprise sustainability. 

Li thinks amidst global anti-globalization trends and WTO violations, ensuring a stable path for overseas expansion has become a critical concern for Chinese automotive brands.

Wang Xia, head of the automotive sub-council of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, stated that the tide of industrial transformation will not quickly end in a simple and crude manner.

Wang sees the automotive industry transformation as necessitating a commitment to long-term strategies, emphasizing the importance of winning through technology and value battles. Building a new, stable, mutually beneficial industrial ecosystem and facing globalization challenges with patience and wisdom is crucial.

Furthermore, Zhu Huarong, Chairman of Changan Automobile, emphasized the need to strengthen technological innovation and swiftly address industry pain points. He believes in upholding a user-centric approach and promoting factual accuracy in communication to prevent eroding trust from society and industry users.

Zhu Huarong, Chairman of Changan Automobile, attended the 2024 China Auto Chongqing Summit on Thursday. (Photo/ 2024 China Auto Chongqing Summit)

Since its inception in 2013, the summit has been hosted by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, Automotive Committee, and Organizing Committee of Chongqing International Auto Exhibition, supported by the Chongqing Municipal People's Government. It focuses on discussing the current situation and development trends of international automotive technology and market.

The summit is a key event for Chongqing's auto industry, aligning with the city's ambitious goal of establishing a world-class intelligent connected and new energy vehicle industrial cluster.