Leading auto-making executives attending the 2025 Shanghai Auto Show called for greater international cooperation throughout the industry and reaffirmed their strong commitment to the Chinese market.
Over 1,000 brands from 26 countries and regions participated in the annual event from April 23 to May 2.
At the auto show, leading industry executives stressed the importance of strengthening global supply chains to ensure sustainable development.
"Global cooperation is critical because, for an automobile, there are about 10,000 parts that need to be sourced. With electrification, this number has reduced to the thousands, which is still substantial. It's impossible to know where every single component comes from. So, global supply is an inevitable topic. The shortest delivery times and the most optimized cost structures can be achieved only with the global supply chain. Where there are volumes, there are lower costs. These are indisputable facts. Therefore, we hope that the global supply chain can continue to grow," said Wei Wei, vice president of Visteon China, a leading supplier of vehicle cockpit electronics.
Leading car brand representatives also stressed the importance of the Chinese market and reaffirmed their long-term strategies in China.
"For us, China is a strategically important market. It's the biggest by far car market in the world. There's a lot of dynamics, there's a lot of innovation. (For) Porsche, we have a long-term strategic commitment to this great market. We celebrated fantastic successes here. It's very clear that we are committed. And this is also a testament to our commitment here," said Alexander Pollich, CEO of Porsche China.
"When we speak about China, the country, or for us as Lamborghini, it's a very important one. The luxury market has dropped, but we maintained in a lot of cases. We also increased our market share in this specific segment. So, for us, it is a very important market. And we are here to stay, and for us, it is always to look into the medium and long-term strategies. And I'm sure that the market will come back and will be stronger than it was in the past," Stephan Winkelmann, chairman and CEO of Lamborghini.
Industry leaders also acknowledged the challenges brought up by the U.S. tariffs, saying that tariffs cannot change the global network overnight.
"If you have tariffs, you need to increase prices. If the prices increase, you will think twice if you buy a new car. And that affects the volumes. We're fully localized in China, So I don't expect that to change overnight. We are with the global distribution network, flexible enough to react. And here in China, I think we are investing anyway, because of the market dynamics. We continue to invest to stay at the forefront of innovation in this dynamic market," said Holger Klein, CEO of ZF Group, a German technology company supplying advanced mobility products and systems for passenger cars.
Leading industry executives call for enhanced global cooperation at Shanghai Auto Show
Leading industry executives call for enhanced global cooperation at Shanghai Auto Show
