The World Intelligent Connected Vehicles Conference (WICV), China’s first national-level professional conference on intelligent connected vehicles (ICV) approved by the State Council, has been successfully held for six consecutive years since 2018. This year, co-hosted by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), the Ministry of Transport (MOT), and the People’s Government of Beijing Municipality, the WICV 2024 will take place in Beijing from October 17 to 19.

The WICV serves as a key platform in the global automotive industry that pioneers technological innovation, promotes international exchanges, and achieves results. It has evolved into a globally influential event in the ICV sector with the highest level, exceptional expertise, and unparalleled scale. The conference is essential for promoting collaboration among authorities across departments, driving technological innovation and advancements, showcasing technological outcomes, and facilitating international exchange and cooperation.

Leaders from relevant central and local authorities have attached great importance to and focused their attention on the WICV over the past six editions. Dozens of leaders at the provincial, ministerial, and higher levels, including Cai Qi, Chen Jining, Liu He, Wan Gang, Miao Wei, Yin Yong, Huai Jinpeng, Yin Hejun, Zhang Yuzhuo, Xu Liuping, Liu Xiaoming, Wang Jiangping, Xin Guobin, and Jin Wei, attended and delivered speeches at the conference, providing high recognition and praise. A number of academicians including Zhong Zhihua, Guo Konghui, Liu Baicheng, Wu Hequan, Li Deyi, Liu Yunjie, Li Jun, Sun Fengchun, Li Keqiang, Li Peigen, and Wang Jian; several dozen top experts in the automotive industry such as Wang Xia, Zhao Yang, Zhang Jinhua, Fu Bingfeng, An Tiecheng, Dong Yang, Zhao Fuquan, and Wan Xinming; as well as thousands of representatives from automakers and parts manufacturers such as FAW Group, Dongfeng Motor, SAIC, Changan Auto, BAIC, GAC Group, BYD, Geely, GWM, Chery, JAC, NIO, Li Auto, XPENG and Leapmotor delivered speeches.

Additionally, the event has attracted numerous international speakers, including scores of foreign officials: Zhao Houlin, Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU); Li Yuwei, Director of Sustainable Transport Division of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE); Chaesub Lee, Director of ITU Telecommunication Standardization Bureau; Francois Guichard, Official for Legal Aspects of ADS for Road Traffic and Traffic Safety, the United Nations; David Schutt, CEO of SAE International (SAE); Piotr Szymanski, Joint Research Centre Director for Energy, Transport and Climate, European Commission; Aliza Totayo, Commercial Officer at the US Embassy in China; Naohiko Kakimi, SIP/PRISM Counsellor of the Council for Science, Technology and Innovation, Japanese Cabinet Office; Takao Onoda, Senior Director of National Traffic Safety and Environment Laboratory of Japan; Matthew Brent, Commercial Counsellor of the Australian Embassy in China; Dane Richmond, Commercial Consul of the Australian Consulate-General Shanghai; and Kovácsics Iván, Second Secretary of the Economical and Commercial Office of the Embassy of Hungary in China. Among the speakers, there are nearly 100 international experts and scholars, including Christopher A. Pissarides, Laureate of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences and Fellow of the British Academy; George Fitzgerald Smoot III, Laureate of the Nobel Prize in Physics and Recipient of Albert Einstein Award; Joseph Sifakis, Turing Award Winner, and Member of the French Academy of Engineering, Academia Europaea, and American Academy of Arts and Sciences; Kaushik Rajashekara, Member of the US National Academy of Engineering, Fellow of SAE, and Professor at the University of Houston; James M.Tien, Member of the US National Academy of Engineering; Director General Sigrid de Vries and Former Director General Erik Jonnaert of the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA); Joachim Damasky, Member of the Managing Board and Managing Director of the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA); Tadanobu Matsushima, Chief Representative of Beijing Representative Office of Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA); Dan Sperling, Director of Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Davis; and Kristin Dziczek, Vice President of Industry, Labor, and Economics at the US Center for Automotive Research. In addition, more than 100 representatives delivered speeches, including those from world-known automakers and parts manufacturers such as Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, BMW, General Motors, Ford, Jaguar Land Rover, Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Hyundai, Volvo Trucks, Daimler Commercial Vehicles, Ferrari, Renault S.A., Stellantis, Tesla, Bosch, Continental AG, and Aptiv.

The organizing committee reports that the previous six editions have drawn more than 1,200 speakers, over 18,000 professional audiences, and over 1,000 exhibitors across the industry chain. The exhibition area has spanned approximately 250,000 square meters. With more than 450,000 offline participants and over 30 million online views, the WICV has reached more than 500 million people thanks to extensive coverage by major central media outlets, such as People’s Daily, Xinhua News Agency, China Media Group, Economic Daily, Guangming Daily, China Youth Daily, China News Service, and Science and Technology Daily. Notably, CCTV’s News Broadcast has featured the conference for several consecutive years, garnering significant public interest.

This year’s WICV, with the theme of “Collaborating for Future Smart Mobility: Embracing New Opportunities in ICV Development”, aims to pool resources and wisdom from governments, enterprises, and sectors worldwide to raise awareness, build consensus, and promote the deep integration of ICV with related industries for collaborative development across regions and sectors. In light of new industry dynamics and trends, the organizing committee will highlight the conference’s high-end, professional, refined, and international character, sharing global experiences in policy regulation, technological R&D, industry cultivation, and demonstration applications to jointly foster high-quality ICV development.