At the "Experience Connected Mobility" themed 2023 International Motor Show (IAA), Chinese carmakers offer more chances and choices for local partners and customers in Europe.

The 2023 IAA, one of the world's largest mobility trade fairs, opened in the southern German city of Munich on Tuesday, with German and Chinese exhibitors in the limelight.

At the six-day event are some 70 Chinese firms, the second largest number after German participants. 

Growing together 

"Everybody here at the IAA is so excited to have so many Chinese brands here. We could see how they realize this digital revolution in products. Chinese brands are here to really keep a picture of the world of mobility, which also reinforces the international aspect of the IAA name," said Peter Fintl, vice president of technology and innovation at Capgemini Engineering.

Before the official opening of the IAA MOBILITY, carmakers and suppliers, half of which came from outside Germany, showcased their latest innovations at dozens of press conferences on Monday. China's EV battery maker Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Ltd. (CATL) presented a new lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery named "Shenxing," which can power 400 km of driving range with a 10-minute charge.

The new technology aims to provide lower-cost vehicle batteries and make fast-charging technologies more affordable to consumers, said CATL cell design engineer Gao Pengfei.

"We hope this battery could become a new standard for the industry," Gao said, adding that European EV manufacturers have been interested in CATL's new technologies, which could enhance their competitiveness in this rapidly developing industry.

"European manufacturers look forward to our competitive supplies," he said. "It's win-win cooperation."

Embracing competition 

Oliver Zipse, chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG, said that it is impossible to decouple from China because China is important in terms of raw materials, manufacturing competence and its size of economy.

"China is BMW's largest market, and we are very connected and involved in the Chinese market," Zipse said.

Speaking of Chinese automakers, Zipse believed that "we have to embrace competition."

Chen Yudong, president of Bosch China, said that there is a growing trend among Chinese automotive brands entering the European market, presenting both opportunities and challenges. As a global company, Bosch has established a robust international business presence and network.

"We are open to supporting our customers' business development wherever there is a market need and an established business presence," he said.

China is the largest market in the world for Bosch Group. The long-term localization strategy and competent local workforce in China have laid a solid foundation for the development of Bosch's businesses in the country. Bosch will continue to invest in the China market to meet the growing demand from Chinese customers.

Win-win cooperation 

ZF Group CEO Holger Klein told Xinhua that China holds a crucial position within the ZF Group, as its development isn't solely focused on the Chinese market, but also contributes significantly to the global expansion of ZF's business.

Klein said that the economies of scale, necessary for the development of the auto industry, should not only be supported by China's large volume, but also allow Chinese-developed technologies to go global.

He was impressed by the dynamic Chinese market because it has a much younger customer group and the Chinese consumers are very open to innovation.

"That's why we very much enjoy offering them the latest innovation in China and developing it with our Chinese colleagues together because they are close to the market, they understand the customers' needs. And that's how we drive innovation," he said.

Capgemini's Fintl reckoned that in terms of rapid progress in electric vehicles, battery size, cost, or overall efficiency, many Chinese brands have really been the ones to set the pace.

CATL became a supplier to BMW soon after its founding in 2011. The battery giant has cooperated with companies including Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, and PSA ever since.

CATL has followed the standards and needs of clients since the early days of such cooperation. However, "this is a real fast-developing industry," Gao said, noting that the company then realized that such standards could no longer match the fast evolving technologies of this industry.

"We started to try exploring new standards and break through the existing bottleneck," he said.

Volkswagen's Blume considered it a "good opportunity" to exchange engineers between Volkswagen and Chinese electric carmaker XPENG.

"For me, it's always important to have a win-win situation when you make partnerships, and that's what we used to do with our joint venture partners, FAW and SAIC (both Chinese automakers), in the past. In the future, with XPENG or in our joint venture with Horizon Robotics, there will also be the positivity in these partnerships," he said.

(With input from Xinhua)