The Austrian Society for Automotive Engineers (ÖVK) has announced it is collaborating with the China Society of Automotive Engineers (China SAE) to deliver the ‘Forum on Powertrain for Sustainable Mobility’ as part of this year’s International Vienna Motor Symposium, which will take place at the Vienna Hofburg on April 22-24.
The forum will be held on Wednesday, 22 April, 2026, at 3:30pm, ahead of the official opening of the International Vienna Motor Symposium, which has been organized by ÖVK since 1985. The forum bring together leading representatives of Chinese organizations and companies with European representatives of renowned automotive companies and development service providers. The aim of the forum is to openly discuss different technological approaches, market strategies and regulatory frameworks, to learn from each other, and to integrate these insights into company strategies.
The forum will combine the technological strengths of the Chinese and European automotive industries to develop new paradigms for global powertrain efficiency. It will include an in-depth look at China’s Technology Roadmap 3.0, strategic benchmarking against EU CO2 regulations, and the exchange of best practices from industry leaders such as Great Wall Motors, AVL and SERES Power.
The event will be chaired by Prof. Xiangyang Xu of Beihang University, who is a fellow of China SAE, chair of the Roadmap 3.0 powertrain group and one of the key figures in the strategic orientation of Chinese powertrain research. Forum co-chair will be Prof. Uwe Grebe, professor of powertrain and automotive technology at TU Wien.
The forum will open with a keynote speech by Prof. Xu, one of the co-authors of Roadmap 3.0. In his presentation, ‘Energy-saving and new energy vehicle technology Roadmap 3.0 – High-efficient powertrain special topic interpretation’, he will provide insights into the technological guidelines and efficiency strategies for future powertrain systems in China.
Other high-profile presentations from Europe and China at the forum will shed light on different perspectives of sustainable mobility, and will include: ‘Technology neutrality – a prerequisite for sustainability and resilience’, by Stephan Neugebauer, BMW, chair of European Road Transport Research Advisory Council (ERTRAC); ‘WM Hi4: ONE Power Scalability Design – Bridging off-road capability and urban mobility’, by Yongqing Zhu, chief engineer, power and chassis R&D Center, Great Wall Motor (GWM); ‘Powertrains for sustainable mobility: One fits all or market-specific solutions?’, by Lukas Walter, COO of engineering at AVL List; and ‘Applications and Trends of REV in China’, by Zhigang Wang, general manager, SERES Energy and Power Research Institute, Chongqing Seres Phoenix Intelligent Innovation Technology Co.
The forum will conclude with a panel discussing the comparison of China-Europe automotive technology routes under the goal of sustainable development, European market layout strategies of Chinese enterprises, and battery supply chain and technological development. This closing round will include all speakers as well as Ruiping Wang, CEO, Aurobay Holding, and will provide in-depth insight into the strategic and economic considerations of the individual shareholders.
The Forum on Powertrain for Sustainable Mobility is open to all registered participants of the International Vienna Motor Symposium.
Automotive Powertrain Technology International is an official media partner of the International Vienna Motor Symposium, which will take place at the Hofburg Conference Centre Vienna in Austria on April 22-24, 2026.
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