Julian Blissett: Transforming from an automaker to a platform innovator

On March 25-27, 2022, the China Electric Vehicle 100 Forum (2022) was officially held. With the theme of "Meeting the New Stage of Market-oriented Development of New Energy Vehicles", the conference conducted in-depth discussions on many challenges and opportunities such as the development of the new energy automobile industry, double carbon targets, climate change, supply chain adjustment, in-depth application of information technology and intelligent technology, change of human travel mode, competition and cooperation among major countries, etc.

At the international forum on the theme of "Automotive, Transportation, Energy Transition and International Cooperation in the Carbon Neutral Process" held on the morning of the 26th, Julian Blissett, Global Executive Vice President of General Motors and President of General Motors China, delivered a speech around the theme, with the following main views:

1. GM's goal is to promote the global adoption and universalization of electrification, autonomous driving and software services;

2. In February this year, Cruise's self-driving fleet achieved historic results, opening up driverless car test rides to the public in San Francisco;

3. On the road to promoting the popularization and inclusiveness of electric vehicles, the Aotene platform is both the starting point and the inflection point of the general;

4. GM looks forward to extensive cooperation with all parties in the field of charging in China.

The following is a transcript of the speech:

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon, although there is no way to attend the meeting, but I would like to introduce GM's pursuit of sustainable development, I hope to impress everyone. We at GM believe that a sense of purpose empowers technology to change the world, and our vision of "zero accidents, zero emissions, zero congestion" shapes our business philosophy of sustainable development. We have invested heavily in this strategy and set ambitious goals to promote the global adoption and universalization of electrification, autonomous driving and software services.

By 2025, GM will invest $35 billion in electric vehicles and autonomous driving, capitalizing on revolutionary technology trends and creating a safer, better, greener future for everyone. By 2025, we will launch more than 30 electric vehicles worldwide, of which more than 20 will be available in China, and our ultimate goal is to electrify all new models by 2035, when GM will achieve 100% renewable energy power supply worldwide. Through a two-pronged strategy of product and operation, the company will reach carbon neutrality by 2040, and we look forward to China's continued green transition, especially the deepening of the energy transition, to help the automotive industry go further on the road to decarbonization." The government's target for the proportion of green electricity will further stimulate the autonomy of automobile companies to reduce emissions. Guided by Vision 30, GM is transforming from an automaker to a platform innovator, and we are building R&D and applications for future vehicles around the keywords of universal, integrated, and planning. Aotene, a revolutionary electric platform jointly developed by the U.S.-China team, is leading us on a path to zero emissions, electrifying almost all products with full power, endurance and flexibility. The platform requires less than 20 different battery specifications to meet the product's need for mileage. Our automotive digital platform leads the large-scale adoption of similar technologies on integrated automaker products, with VIP faster communication speeds, industry-leading cybersecurity, and broader remote upgrade capabilities benefiting brands and markets. In 2030 it will be installed on all Cadillac models and the vast majority of Buick and Xue chevrolet models. We want to share the dividends of technological progress with our customers through rapid and extensive product application. We are actively renovating more than half of our production lines in China and the United States.

The Aoteneng Gigafactory in Shanghai and The Zero factory in Detroit are just the beginning. We are expanding our electric vehicle product line with unparalleled depth and breadth. Cadillac LYRIQ is the first product GM brings to the Chinese market, and it will deliver in the third quarter, redefining electric luxury mobility. The pioneering GMC Pure Electric Hummer Super Pickup, which is being produced in the United States, was exhibited at the Expo held in November this year and received a very enthusiastic response. Cruise Origin driverless cars have entered the pre-production stage and are currently undergoing testing and validation, creating an industry precedent for autonomous driving sharing. The recently unveiled Emblem Space Cadillac Halo Halo Concept Series showcases the endless possibilities that the Aotene system creates for luxury autonomous driving.

Our autonomous driving straights are stable and accessible, we have the technical expertise and scale effect, while developing advanced assisted driving and driverless technologies, one step ahead of the market opportunities.

In February, Cruise's self-driving fleet achieved historic results, opening up driverless car test rides to the public in San Francisco. Prior to that, our Chairman and CEO, Mary Barra, personally did a test drive. On the other hand, Super Cruise and Ultra Cruise complement each other, promoting assisted driving technology to the entire product spectrum of GM, so that more people can enjoy the dividends brought by technology. With VIP intelligent electronic architecture technology Super Cruise to 2030 equipped with GM's 22 models, thanks to the higher bandwidth of the electronic architecture and stronger data processing capabilities, Super Cruise will achieve functional expansion and remote upgrades. This year, Super Cruise has enhanced the command change and automatic lane change features and will be available in China.

Other highlights, including richer map data and a more user-friendly user interface, make the overall assisted driving experience more convenient and comfortable.

At the intersection of technologies with the power of reversal, we will usher in the reconstruction of the car in terms of the power modeling experience, and the reshaping of GM itself. Electrification, autonomous driving, and software services are converging into once-in-a-century technological changes. It is our privilege to lead this personal mobility revolution. It is also the responsibility to create a better future. GM will pool its efforts as a platform innovator to achieve higher product price-to-earnings ratios through extensive collaboration. Based on VIP intelligent electronic architecture, we are building an end-to-end software architecture, which can bring us more frequent and smoother upgrades, personalized customization options and various on-demand application software, in addition to ultra-fast data processing capabilities, strong network security capabilities, reliable cloud interconnection capabilities, it is very friendly to external developers, through the separation of key software and hardware, we can accelerate software development and applications, and achieve remote upgrades. On the road to promoting the popularization and inclusiveness of electric vehicles, the Aoteneng platform is both our starting point and our inflection point, which can not only export technology to other automakers and transportation operators, improve economies of scale, but also stimulate and incubate innovation in the industrial chain.

The Aoteneng platform's inclusive battery architecture enables rapid adaptation of different cell options and the selection of the best supplier according to local conditions. GM's selected Aoteneng batteries for the Chinese market are a selection we have launched together with the Pan-Asia Automotive Technology Center, optimizing thermal insulation, and innovating in materials and techniques that will effectively improve the safety and effectiveness of electric vehicles. In order to make electric vehicles become mainstream, we are committed to a multi-pronged approach to improve user embodiment, and Charge360 embodies our idea of accurately solving user pain points from the overall situation. Combine our charging-related products, services and operator cooperation. We believe that open cooperation in the field of charging will help the promotion of electric vehicles, we hope to see the government introduce charging infrastructure construction goals, whether it is home charging or high-voltage fast charging active non-drilling, will accelerate the promotion of the market, we look forward to extensive cooperation with all parties in the field of charging with China. GM's transformation from an automaker to a platform innovator, the integration of knowledge and action, zero accidents, zero emissions, zero congestion is our vision, and not only stay in our minds, but also put into practice in the spirit of innovation city first cadre, we have confidence, ability and we have companions. I am delighted that the leaders of automotive technology have come together to inspire and learn from each other, thank you!