On September 18, 2024, a press conference for the 2024 World Intelligent Connected Vehicles Conference (WICV 2024) was held in Beijing. Relevant officials, including Guo Shougang, Deputy Director-General of Department of Equipment Manufacturing Industries I and Level I Bureau Rank Official of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT); Gan Jiaxiang, Level II Bureau Rank Official of the Department of Science and Technology of the Ministry of Transport (MOT); Su Guobin, Deputy Director of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology  and Qu Guochun, Director-General of the MIIT Equipment Industry Development Center (EIDC) and Secretary-General of the WICV Organizing Committee attended, alongside journalists from over 100 media outlets. Qu Guochun gave an overview of the WICV and preparation updates. Guo Shougang and Su Guobin answered the questions of journalists respectively. Liu Fawang, Deputy Director-General of the EIDC, presided over the press conference.

I. About WICV

The WICV 2024 is co-hosted by the MIIT, the MOT, and the People’s Government of Beijing Municipality. Themed “Collaborating for Future Smart Mobility: Embracing New Opportunities in ICV Development”, the conference is scheduled to take place from October 17 to 19 at the Beiren Etrong International Exhibition & Convention Center in Beijing E-Town. It is jointly organized by EIDC, Beijing Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology, Administrative Committee of Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area, China Automotive Technology and Research Center Co., Ltd. (CATARC), China Society of Automotive Engineers (China-SAE), China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM), China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT), China Center for Information Industry Development (CCID).

As China’s first national-level professional conference on ICV approved by the State Council, the WICV has been successfully held for six consecutive years since 2018. In recent years, major car-producing nations and regions have been actively developing the ICV industry. They accelerate deployments and increase investments through various measures such as policy planning, pilot demonstrations, and technological innovations.

There will be three plenary meetings, three special sessions, six thematic summits, and N concurrent side events and interactive activities. The aim is to facilitate discussions, gather diverse insights, showcase cutting-edge technologies, and offer innovative test ride experiences, thereby pioneering the global ICV development trends. We are pleased to announce that dozens of representatives from various government departments and industry organizations, including those from the UN, Germany, the UK, and Japan, have confirmed to attend and address the conference. Over a hundred enterprise executives and industry leaders from renowned domestic and international carmakers, parts manufacturers, and communications companies will deliver insightful presentations, striving to create a vibrant and fruitful industry event. On the exhibition front, more than 250 well-known domestic and international carmakers and core parts manufacturers are expected to participate with over 200 car models, advanced technologies, and innovative products, setting new standards in the WICV’s exhibition scale, design, and content.

II. Four Highlights of the WICV 2024

The WICV 2024 introduces an innovative organizational model featuring four highlights. First, it employs a variety of meeting and activity formats to integrate multiple resources, emphasizing industry-wide collaboration. The conference includes plenary meetings, thematic summits, and side events, offering a range of activities such as keynote speeches, roundtables, seminars, and results exhibitions. These formats complement each other, fostering the exchange of diverse ideas and broader collaboration, ultimately enhancing the conference’s industry impact, brand appeal, and resource aggregation in the ICV sector.

Second, the conference has significantly increased its international engagement by inviting automotive authorities and authoritative international institutions from various countries. A series of international activities will be organized, featuring leaders from global automotive authorities, representatives from prestigious international institutions, and industry elites. Together, they will engage in in-depth discussions on core topics such as the future ICV development, policy direction, and international cooperation, jointly exploring solutions for common challenges facing the industry.

Third, WICV will be held in Beijing E-Town for the first time, leveraging the advantages of Beijing High-Level Autonomous Driving Demonstration Area to forge synergy for industrial development. Beijing E-Town is the world’s first vehicle-road-cloud integrated high-level autonomous driving demonstration zone. The conference will bring together global advantageous resources from governments, universities, research institutes, and the industry, establishing communication channels for industry resource sharing and collaboration. This initiative will continuously highlight the WICV’s innovative characteristics of “exchanging global wisdom, contributing China’s achievements, and sharing Beijing’s experience”

Fourth, the conference will unveil significant findings such as the top 10 ICV breakthroughs and trends, to set directions for future industry development based on the collective wisdom of all stakeholders. Through platforms such as the WICV organizing committee, we have initiated the collection and evaluation of relevant projects targeting domestic and international ICV experts. The results will be announced during the opening and closing ceremonies.

III. Remarkable Achievements of Beijing’s ICV Industry

The development of the ICV industry is a key part of Beijing’s efforts to establish itself as an international innovation center, build a high-end, sophisticated and cutting-edge industrial structure, and become a global pacesetter in the digital economy. As one of the hosts of the WICV 2024, Beijing will leverage the international platform and communication opportunity to strengthen exchanges, mutual learning, and cooperation with various regions and enterprises both domestically and internationally.

In recent years, Beijing has been continuously enhancing innovation and quality of the ICV industry while cultivating new quality productive forces. The city has concentrated its efforts on five key areas: first, enhancing the integration of smart cities and ICV to reach high standards; second, continuously innovating ICV regulations and policies; third, strengthening the research and development of core technologies; fourth, accelerating the improvement of the ICV industry ecosystem; and fifth, actively implementing national pilot tasks. In the first half of 2024, the output value of Beijing’s ICV and NEV industries surpassed 226 billion yuan, up 16.1% year-on-year, demonstrating significant success in transformation and upgrading.

Moving forward, Beijing will continue to promote the high-quality development of the ICV sector. This will involve constructing class- and category-based roadside facilities across a wider range and area. Following the principles of “demand-driven and unified development for shared use”, the city will accelerate the construction of intelligent infrastructure, new-generation network infrastructure, and demonstration application scenarios. This will foster continuous innovation in autonomous driving technologies and products, support the refined management of smart cities, and expedite the cultivation of new quality productive forces.