Although fuel cell vehicles do not play a big role in China, Weiyu Shi said SAIC were still pursuing the technology and had developed a number of FCEVs since 2001. Examples included the Roewe 950 car, the Maxus FCV 80 minibus and the Sunwin passenger bus. Strategically, the company is striving to industrialize PHEVs and…

"Don’t be fooled by some media" said Shemin Zhang, speaking of the future of internal combustion engines. Although China was tightening CO2 legislation in a similar way to Europe, Japan and the USA, internal combustion engines still make sense – at least in hybrid systems. By 2025, ICEs would still account for over 80 %…

In Shanghai, Michael Schöffmann took a detailed look at the technology inside Audi’s e-tron 55 quattro. Maximum System power on the quattro 55 is 300 kW and continuous is 100 kW. Schöffmann distinguished between Peak Power and Boost Power: Boost Power (300 kW) lasts 8 s; Peak Power (265 kW, which Schöffmann says is enough…

In 2006, Guangzhou Automobile Group (GAC) set up its development center for new tech and products, which Hongzhong Qi said, works largely independently. The centre is working on traction batteries, combustion engines for hybrid applications, and a Dedicated Hybrid Transmission called G-MC.

“Which powertrain characteristics and product strategies are important to have success on the Chinese market?” Participants from left: Michael Schöffmann, Audi; Dr Shemin Zhang, Dongfeng; Ping Yu, Jing-Jin Electric; Prof. Tong Zhang, Tongji University; Prof. Ferit Küçükay, CTI Chair.