The 2025 World Intelligent Connected Vehicles Conference was held in Beijing recently, offering a revealing glimpse into the future of smart mobility.

"With joint efforts from all sides, China has built a complete industrial system covering intelligent cockpits, autonomous driving, and connected cloud control," said Xin Guobin, vice minister of industry and information technology.

Innovation fuels industrial transformation

Researchers at the Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, recently developed a new flexible material that enables integrated batteries to withstand 20,000 bending cycles. Used as a polymer electrolyte in composite cathodes, it increases energy density by 86 percent, offering a new path to tackling the challenges of high interfacial resistance and low ion transfer efficiency in solid-state batteries.

Behind such progress lies years of sustained innovation. Over the past five years, China's battery charging efficiency has quadrupled, its motor and control systems have become globally competitive, and localization rates for new energy vehicles (NEVs) now exceed 95 percent. NEVs have become a key driver of high-quality economic growth.

Meanwhile, intelligent technologies are redefining cars as "mobile intelligent terminals." With integrated voice commands, drivers can adjust temperature or seat positions, while in-car displays serve as infotainment and social platforms. In addition, facial and motion sensors monitor fatigue and emotions, automatically switching driving modes or issuing alerts to ensure safety.

"Technological innovation is driving industrial transformation, and new automobiles are realizing five major changes — intelligent electrification, digital space, smart connectivity, continuous upgrading and mobility partnership," said Zhang Xinghai, founder and chairman of Chongqing-based automaker Seres. He added that the automotive industry is rapidly entering an era of deep AI integration, evolving toward "mobile intelligent agents."

Collaboration accelerates growth

New "vehicle-road-cloud integration" systems are helping autonomous cars overcome challenges such as poor visibility and complex traffic conditions, by transmitting real-time road and signal data directly to vehicle terminals. As part of this integration, pilot results featuring ten new application scenarios supporting smart buses and unmanned delivery systems were recently released.

Collaborative innovation across hundreds of supply chains — from chips and robotics to materials and software — is fueling new industrial momentum.

"At present, AI has been applied in many Chinese and joint-venture automakers," said Cao Xudong, CEO of Chinese autonomous driving startup Momenta, noting that global observers can clearly see China's rapid progress in electrification and intelligent mobility.