29 May Bill Russo to Chair Automobility Panel at JP Morgan Global China Summit

Beijing China, June 5, 2017

How China is Shaping the Future of Mobility

Click here to watch the recording of the panel discussion

The China auto market is transitioning from a period of rapid growth and expansion of individual car ownership to a future where mobility needs are served via a more diverse stream of personal mobility solutions.   Personal mobility solutions now include new cars, an expanding supply of good quality used cars, as well as on-demand mobility (ODM) services (including bike sharing and ride hailing) for people who prefer a pay-per-use model over ownership. 

China’s market is also quite unique with its short history of car ownership, ultra-dense urban population, and high penetration of the mobile internet.  With an urbanization rate of 56%, China’s urban population now exceeds 750 million people, and the transportation needs of this increasingly urbanized population has driven the explosive demand for personal mobility.  With a car population of over 190 million vehicles at the end of 2016, individuals who own cars are still far outnumbered by those who do not, and mobility needs are increasingly served through mobility services “usership” beyond just individual car “ownership”.

In this context, automakers are expanding their focus from the product (the “automobile”), to the utility that is derived from the product (“automobility”), and are challenged to create a business model and digital ecosystem optimized to provide digitally-enabled solutions for both car owners and users.

We will discuss: How are these factors shaping the auto market in China?  What solutions are being developed to ease mobility “pain points” in China?  How do you see these solutions impacting and shaping our everyday lives today and in the future?  How will this impact the structure of the industry going forward?

Innovations such as these, originating from both traditional OEMs and new mobility solutions platforms, many of whom are Chinese, is paving the way to an entirely new business model for China’s auto industry.

Topics for discussion:

• Defining the disruption in the China context – What are the disruptive trends in the world of mobility?
• Big picture view of the competitive landscape – What does the new competitive landscape look like and how will it evolve?
• How should incumbents respond? Disrupting or being disrupted? – What new internal capabilities are required? How to work with local start-ups:  compete or collaborate?
• China for the world – Will China lead to world’s development and innovation in Connected Mobility?

Prof. Dr. Jochem Heizmann, Member of the Board of Management, Volkswagen AG; President & CEO, Volkswagen Group China

Mr. Olaf Kastner, President & CEO, BMW Group Region China

Mr. William Li, Founder & Chairman, NIO

Dr. Daniel Kirchert, President & Co-Founder, Future Mobility Corporation

Moderated by:

Mr. Bill Russo, Managing Director, Gao Feng Advisory Company