Founded in 2010 by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, Automotive Committee, the Global Automotive Forum (GAF) held its seventh annual meeting at the Chongqing Yuelai International Convention Centre on June 6-7, 2016. Held at the same time as the 18th China Chongqing International Auto Industry fair, GAF played host to over 950 delegates from 17 countries and involved over 75 speakers. LIASE Group was present at the event to network with top global automotive executives and discuss the structural changes affecting the global auto industry.
This year’s GAF revolved around the theme of Pivoting to a New Round of Development, China Opportunities: The 13th Five-Year Plan and Made-in-China 2025. As noted in the opening statements by Wang Xia, Chairman, China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, Automotive Committee; the Chinese automotive market has continued to grow in the past year, but at a slower pace than in the past. Still, China remains an important growing market for international OEMs, especially in a context where growth in countries such as Brazil and Russia has declined.
Discussions at the event centered on several major themes, including:
• What challenges will the Automobile industry face in the future?
• What are the trends that will arise from international and domestic markets?
• New Energy vehicles and their place in the Chinese market.
• The growing popularity of smart and connected vehicles technology.
• The interaction of the Automotive industry with the Internet for marketing, entertainment, logistics and services.
• The place of Chinese Auto brands in the global market.
This last point is of great interest to the Chinese government which has strongly promoted the industry through its “Made in China 2025” strategy, aiming to enhance the competitiveness of Chinese manufacturers.
The event was very well attended by leading domestic and international automotive executives. Some of the main speakers included
• Michael Ableson, VP, Strategy and Global Portfolio Planning, General Motors Company.
• Hubertus Troska, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG, responsible for Greater China.
• Roland Krueger, President, Infiniti Motor Company, Ltd.
• Kazuyuki Iwata, Chief Engineer, Honda Motor.
• Chen Zhixin, President of SAIC Motor Corporation.
• Li Shufu, Chairman of Geely Group.
• Zhu Huarong, President of Changan Motor.
• Wang Chuanfu, Chairman of BYD.
• Yin Tongyao, President and CEO of Chery Automobile Co., Ltd.
• Dr. Ralf Cramer, Member of the Executive Board of Continental AG; President and CEO of Continental China.
• Robert Pyle, President, Light Vehicle Driveline Technologies at Dana Holding Corporation.
• Qi Yumin, Chairman of Brilliance Auto.
• François Provost, President of Dongfeng Renault Automotive Corporation; Senior Vice President, China Operations, Renault Group.
• Sun Yongyi, Deputy General Manager of Engineering, Autonomous Driving Unit, Baidu.
• Luo Zheng, President of Transportation Finance, Ping An Bank.
• Chen Yudong, President of Bosch (China) Investment Co., Ltd.
• Simon Yang, President of Delphi China, Managing Director, Asia Pacific, Connection Systems, Delphi Electrical/Electronic Architecture.
• Enno Tang, Head of Chassis & Safety Division, Continental China.
• He Yi, VP of Le Holdings, CEO of LeAutolink, Chairman of LeShare.
Editors Notes:
LIASE is a global retained executive search firm & talent management consultancy that exclusively specializes in the automotive sector. Our in-depth understanding of conventional and unconventional automotive entities includes OEM’s, Importers, Financing/Leasing, Dealerships, Private Equity and Suppliers. Our global reach across 4 continents is closely linked to the expertise of our Consultants, all of whom have solid automotive knowledge that span across the world’s major automotive hubs.
Hubertus Troska, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG, responsible for Greater China, speaking during the first day of GAF 2016.
Zhu Huarong, President of Changan Motor, spoke on a panel concerning future strategies for the Automotive industry in China.
Michael Ableson, VP, Strategy and Global Portfolio Planning, General Motors Company, spoke on the topic of the future of mobility.
BVR Subbu, Director, Beyond Visual Range – Strategy Consulting; Former President, Hyundai Motor India Ltd., spoke during a panel on the topic of China’s Auto Industry: Transforming and Upgrading through Utilizing Opportunities in New Industrial Development.
Mu Huaping, Vice Mayor of the Chongqing Municipal Government delivered one of two opening remarks at GAF 2016.
Mr. Wang Ruixiang, Deputy Director General of the Committee for Handling Proposals of the 11th CPPCC National Committee, Chairman of the China Machinery Industry Federation delivered one of two opening remarks at GAF 2016.
Feng Xingya, Executive Member of the Board of GAC Group; Executive Deputy General Manager of GAC Group, China.
The Auto Supplier Perspective: Surviving and Thriving in an Era of Slower Growth panel at the 2016 GAF. Speakers at the panel were : Ralf Cramer, Member of the Executive Board of Continental AG; President and CEO of Continental China, China/Germany; Frank O’Brien, Executive Vice President, Asia Magna International Inc., Canada; Charles Chang, Vice President and Managing Director of China, Lear, USA; Edouard de Pirey, President of Valeo China, China/France; and, Antonio Valencia, Senior Vice President Dana Holding Corporation and President of Dana China, USA. The moderator was Wilson Ni, Visiting Professor of Tsinghua University; President, ASIMCO International, China.
