To download this report, you need to log in as a DVN Lighting member.
Not a DVN member yet? Contact us now to join the DVN Community!
For the two-week duration of the Auto Show, Shanghai was the centre of the automotive industry in the world. Media and top decision makers gathered to discover, analyze, talk, and listen about what is happening in China. To emphasize China’s key importance in the automotive business, here are some figures from the likes of Valeo and
In 2000, China produced about 0.7 million cars. In 2024, that figure was 29.8 million vehicles (S&P data) — fully a third of worldwide vehicle production. Chinese consumers buy younger; in 2022, 67 per cent of car buyers in China were under 45, compared to an average age of 53 in Europe and 51 in the U.S. And Chinese consumers switch brands faster; 76 per cent of them plan to change brands for their next vehicle, and 52 per cent say the origin of the car matters less than its ability to meet their needs.
In China, EV sales are expected to surpass combustion-engine models this year. That’s a historic shift, commensurate with the technological and environmental challenges reshaping the future of mobility. Chinese automakers have an EV market share above 60 per cent.
That’s the Chinese market in which Chinese automakers are competing like hell. Time-to-market and cost have become their main priorities, and non-Chinese makers are now trying to adopt those priorities to be competitive. Partnership has become a priority at every level; look at makers like SAIC and the new 4-letter AUDI brand, for example. Partnerships in software development, connectivity, ADAS, and lighting, too, were announced during the show. Valeo and Appotronics; Xingyu, LatticePower, and Oritek.
Coöperation is crucial. We need bridges among industries and companies, to develop faster in a complex environment. DVN is an ideal, proven platform to facilitate the coöperation we have been promoting right from the start.
For this report, I’ve tried to have a global view; I took pictures of the interesting lamps I saw from car- and lampmakers. I’ll have to beg forgiveness for the brands I missed; it was a very long long week. But there’s added value waiting for you in this report: information from ALE events that occurred in the runup to Auto Shanghai, where DVN’s Anne Ai and Wolfgang Huhn attended.
