The hot topics of artificial intelligence, autonomous driving and the skills necessary to face the mobility of the future were at the center of a talk organized in Milan by the Chinese automotive brand
Technological Renaissance: this is the motto with which Geely, Chinese automotive giant (which owns, among other things, Volvo, Lotus, Polestar, Smart, Lynk & Co., Zeekr, the Malaysian Proton and in the motorcycle field Benelli through QJ), faces the Italian market for the first time with its own brand. An approach that has acted as the common thread of the Geely Auto Talks, organized in Milan to discuss highly topical issues such as artificial intelligence, Adas, new skills and professions, in relation to the mobility of the future. Technological Renaissance means, in the words of Marco Santucci, manager director of Geely Italia“to combine design, which also sees Milan hosting one of the company’s five style centres, and technology, making the latter of a very high level, but at the same time putting it at the service of people through sustainable accessibility to the widest possible audience”. The Renaissance, after all, “was an era in which art and science were made accessible to all, enhancing the magnificence of Italy”. Geely, for now, translates these concepts into an offer limited to two models, the EX5 electric SUV and the super-hybrid Sterray EM-ibut the range is destined to be significantly enriched in the near future, while the objective for the sales and assistance network is to reach a hundred structures covering the national territory.
the benefits of adas and ai
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Geely also asked the Polytechnic University of Milan and its own Connected Vehicle & Mobility Observatorydirected by Giulio Salvadori, to analyze the topic, in relation to a market whose value, only in 2024, has been estimated, between smart mobility, Adas systems and connected cars, in 3.36 billion euros, up 16% compared to the previous yearAnd. With, incidentally, highly positive repercussions on the socio-economic aspects, having resulted in the spread of Adas on motor vehicles a 12% reduction in the accident rate and 13% in their severitywith social cost savings calculated in 1.89 billion euros in 2024 alone for equipment made available starting from 2010. The Polytechnic’s forecast for the period 2024-2033 is another 1.04 billion in savings, obtained thanks to the Adas sold in 2024: this thanks to the improvements of the devices obtained through artificial intelligence, which allows the Adas to intervene more quickly even in the rarest situations, to anticipate risks, to improve through over-the-air updates and to be more accepted by drivers thanks to a more precise and less annoying operation. The automotive industry, moreover, is one of those with the highest level of maturity of artificial intelligence applications, together with the aerospace and defense industry; However China operates 67% of Level 4 autonomous driving projects (without human intervention) currently underway, compared to Europe’s modest 13%.
skills hunt
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However, are we ready to face this technological breakthrough? Polytechnic research also addressed aspects relating to the new skills required by the mobility chain of the future, through ua survey conducted on 5,600 residents and 50 automotive opinion leaders of different countries. The study revealed that 75% of companies in the automotive sector encounter problems accessing skills necessary for your business; for 56% of the sample there is a lack of specific skills, for 35% of adequate training and for 38% of specialized manpower. 33% of those interviewed noted strong competition with other sectors, to which is added, for 25% of those interviewed, a lack of attractiveness in the automotive sector. How to deal with these problems? 74% of dealers who participated in the survey plan to do so with training and hiring talent49% with a company reorganization and 44%, 44% finally trusting in the diversification of the vehicle range; car repairers, on the other hand, 56% of them focus on training and talent40% on the acquisition of certifications and 28% on the development of technological services. But who is responsible for providing more information to increase the level of competence on technologies? 68% to car manufacturers27% to component manufacturers, 10% to colleagues from other companies, 16% to public bodies and associations and 8% to hardware and software manufacturers.
skills hunt
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Supporting the technological renaissance therefore means making efforts at all levels. This was testified to in the Geely Auto Talks by, among others, the Hon. Giulia Pastorellamember of the Chamber’s Transport Commission, who underlined how the recent reform of the Highway Code did not take into account aspects relating to autonomous driving, so much so that new amendments were necessary, and the CEO of the Autostrada Milano-Serravalle company Ivo Roberto Cassettawhich emphasized the role of digitalisation and data processing in the management of a network which, including the Milan ring roads, sees 180 million vehicles pass through each year. The director of Tech Innovation at Anas also spoke at the meeting Mauro Giancasprothe president of the Motus-E association Fabio Pressithe CEO of Randstad Digital Anna Fabbri And Andrea Cardinalidirector general of Unrae, who underlined the criticality of the cohabitation between new generation vehicles and future ones, even more automated, with a fleet in circulation with an average age of 13 years and with a replacement cycle of 27 years. Francesco Boggio Ferrarisdirector of the Academy Italy China Council Foundation, finally recalled how China is the second country in the world for research and development, with investments of 360 billion euros and 4.76 million intellectual property patents registered in 2024 alone, over 38 thousand of which in the last decade related to artificial intelligence: something that the European Union, in its development plans, cannot fail to take into account.
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