Just a few years ago, China was seen primarily as a production location and sales market for the automotive industry. European manufacturers brought their technologies into the country, built factories and opened up the world’s largest automotive market. Today, the perspective has shifted. Vehicles are not only produced in China; increasingly, they are also developed there. More technologies, development processes and software solutions that shape global competition are emerging there.

For suppliers, this is not a geopolitical debate. It is a strategic question: Where are the ideas emerging that will make my company competitive five years from now?

Beyond “In China, for China”

Volkswagen now sums up its strategy in just a few words: “In China, for China.” Vehicles are developed entirely for the Chinese market in Chinese development centres together with local technology partners. What began as a response to the dynamism of the world’s largest automotive market is increasingly becoming an engine of innovation for the entire Group. Development processes, software architectures and digital vehicle functions are created locally and increasingly flow into global vehicle programmes.

This is changing the global exchange of knowledge and innovation. New ideas no longer emerge predominantly in one place and are then implemented worldwide. Innovation develops in parallel – in different markets, with different partners and through mutual exchange.

Learning Creates Competitive Advantage

Not every development from China will prevail worldwide. Companies that only notice technological trends once they reach Europe, however, often lose valuable time. Successful companies therefore monitor international developments early, assess new technologies objectively and transfer relevant insights to their own products and processes.

China is therefore becoming not only an important sales and development market, but increasingly also a place where international manufacturers and suppliers encounter new ideas, technologies and development methods. German engineering excellence, quality and system safety remain decisive competitive advantages. At the same time, innovation emerges where different perspectives come together and companies are willing to learn from one another.

Wolfsburg Connects Worlds of Innovation

This is precisely why the internationalisation of IZB 2026 is becoming increasingly important. With an unprecedented presence of Chinese companies, Wolfsburg AG’s cooperation with the China International Investment Promotion Agency (CIIPA), and the German-Chinese Automotive Congress taking place immediately afterwards, Wolfsburg is developing into one of the automotive industry’s most important international meeting points. Different development approaches meet here, new contacts are formed, and partnerships grow far beyond the fair itself.

Technologies can be compared. Understanding, however, emerges only through direct exchange. This is where IZB’s particular value lies. It brings together the people developing the next generation of vehicles – and creates space for conversations from which new ideas, development partnerships and international business relationships emerge.

Road to IZB 2026

With its editorial series “Road to IZB 2026” on OEM&Lieferant, Wolfsburg AG, the organiser of IZB, tracks the key developments in the international automotive and supplier industry in the run-up to the next International Suppliers Fair in Wolfsburg.

At IZB from 27 to 29 October 2026, these topics will not only be discussed but taken forward in collaboration with leading players from across the international automotive industry. Once again, Wolfsburg will become a meeting point for manufacturers, suppliers, technology companies, start-ups and research institutions – and a place where new ideas, partnerships and solutions for tomorrow’s mobility take shape.

The focus is on future technologies, market trends, and the people, companies and innovations shaping the industry’s transformation.

For more information about IZB 2026 and opportunities to participate, visit: www.izb-online.com

Text und Bild: Wolfsburg AG/IZB