The first Auto Frontrunner Summit, organized by China's leading automaker SAIC Motor, was held in Shanghai on April 18, attracting more than 1,000 scholars, industrial experts, journalists and investors.

The largest gathering for the domestic auto industry, the summit aimed to “crowd-fund” ideas, providing solutions for future automobiles and bringing a more comfortable traveling experience.

At the summit, SAIC Motor launched the Roewe Vision-E, an internet-based electric car. The Roewe Vision-E is a car of the future, integrating new energy and smart-connect technologies. The Vision E incorporates AR-HUD, auto parking and wireless charging technologies, and can reach speeds of 100 km/h within four seconds. The concept car is slated to go into mass production in 2018.

In respond to President Xi Jinping’s call for the development new energy vehicle during his visit in SAIC Motor in 2014, SAIC Motor has stepped up efforts to promote new energy vehicles to solve environment and traffic problems brought by auto industrial development.

Now the company has launched over 10 varieties of new energy vehicles, and has also partnered with Alibaba Group to make internet cars. Their first product – the Roewe RX5, has taken a lead in the internet vehicle market as the world’s first internet-connected SUV.

SAIC plans to build the Auto Frontrunner Summit into a platform for showcasing advanced auto technologies, boosting cooperation and enhancing innovation.