The Annual Meeting of the Automotive New Materials Branch of the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers and its Fourth Council Meeting of the First Term, guided by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, hosted by the Automotive New Materials Branch, organised by Jiangsu Aosheng Composite Materials Technology Co., Ltd., and co-organised by Donghua University, the State Key Laboratory of Advanced Fibre Materials, and the Shanghai Key Laboratory of Lightweight Structural Composites, concluded successfully in Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province, from 8 to 9 January 2026. The conference focused on the intelligent and lightweight development trends within the automotive industry, bringing together industry experts, corporate representatives and research institutions to jointly explore innovative application pathways for new materials.
Board deliberations: Strategic planning and industry collaboration
On 8 January, the fourth session of the first council convened. The supervising leadership of the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers systematically reported on the annual operations of the branch, and organised council members to conduct in-depth discussions on the drafting of the report entitled ‘Strategic Research on the Innovative Development of New Automotive Materials’. The meeting also deliberated on the council's transition plan and key tasks for 2026.
Annual Conference Commences: Discussing Lightweighting and Strategic Opportunities
On 9 January, the annual conference formally commenced. In his opening address, Li Guixin, Assistant Secretary-General of the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, emphasised that new materials constitute a pivotal pillar for the automotive industry's transformation and upgrading. He stressed the necessity of overcoming technical bottlenecks through cross-sectoral collaboration, strengthening cooperation across the entire industrial chain, advancing the research, development and industrialisation of new materials, and thereby enabling China's automotive sector to seize the initiative in global competition.
Xu Wen Qian, Chairman of Jiangsu Aosheng Composite Materials Technology Co., Ltd., stated in his address that the global automotive industry's growth presents strategic opportunities for new materials. As a global leader in carbon fibre applications, Aosheng Technology's subsidiary Zhenjiang Aosheng Automotive has become a premier supplier of lightweight automotive components in China. The company is committed to providing high-performance, high-quality composite material solutions for automotive lightweighting and has established robust strategic partnerships with multiple leading automakers. Chairman Xu Wen Qian called upon industry partners to resist internal competition, foster collective innovation, deepen collaboration, and jointly advance the large-scale application of new materials within the automotive sector.
Technology Sharing: Cutting-Edge Achievements Empowering Industrial Upgrading
During the conference, Zhang Shiwei of Zhenjiang Aosheng Lightweight Automotive Technology Co., Ltd. delivered a presentation titled ‘Directions for Carbon Fibre Application in Automotive Component Lightweighting’. He engaged with industry leaders by examining three key aspects: the application of carbon fibre within the automotive sector, its advantages and disadvantages in automotive use, and the developmental trajectory of carbon fibre implementation. The presentation provided a detailed showcase of Aosheng Technology's innovative solutions for applying carbon fibre composites within the automotive field.
Professor Yu Muhuo of Donghua University, Chairman of the New Materials Branch of the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, delivered a keynote address on ‘Opportunities and Challenges in the Development of New Materials for China's Automotive Industry’. Dongfeng Motor R&D Institute shared breakthroughs in integrated die-casting technology, while Shanghai Jiao Tong University presented advances in key materials for solid-state batteries. Shenzhen Guoxian Technology explored trends in intelligent vehicle displays, and the China Automotive Engineering Research Institute interpreted the group standard ‘Test Methods and Evaluation Requirements for Stick-Slip Motion of Automotive Materials,’ providing technical reference for the industry.
Field Visit: Lightweight Innovation Achievements Bear Fruit
At the conclusion of the meeting, attending experts conducted an on-site visit to the production workshop of Zhenjiang Aosheng Automobile, where they observed the automated production line for carbon fibre components and the achievements in lightweighting technology at close quarters. This demonstrated the significant advantages of carbon fibre composite materials in enhancing the weight efficiency and safety of new energy vehicles.
The successful convening of this annual conference has established a high-level exchange platform within the automotive new materials sector, accelerating the transformation of technological achievements and fostering industrial chain collaboration. With increased policy support and heightened corporate investment in innovation, China's automotive new materials industry is poised to achieve breakthroughs in key areas. This will enable it to contribute a ‘Chinese solution’ to the global automotive industry's transformation and propel China's automotive sector towards the high end of the global value chain.
