New brands and the search for a design identity
For conference highlights please click here
A full report from each of the two conference days appears on Car Design News (Day 1 and Day 2).
Record numbers of delegates and speakers were in Beijing for this year's conference – proof, as if it were needed, that design is set to play as critical a role in China as it does elsewhere. Among the audience were young Chinese designers keen to learn more about international car design techniques, as well as veteran western designers hoping to gain a deeper understanding of an exploding market which they are creating vehicles for.
Now in its third year, the conference is set up to bring together both domestic and global OEMs, and both Chinese and Western design influences, in the development of China's automotive brands and their search for a unique design.
Though European attendance was hampered by the grounding of air travel due to volcanic ash, which also led to the absence of some speakers, the programme was full and sessions lively. Delegates to the conference benefitted from:
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presentations from design directors of both Chinese and global OEMs;
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networking opportunities throughout the two days, including during the lunch and coffee breaks;
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copies of the presentations to download after the conference...
... and all proceedings simultaneously translated between English and Mandarin.