On December 8, 2025, the transform.r transformation network of the Cluster Mobility & Logistics hosted the annual conference of the Regensburg Automotive Industry Strategy Dialogue.
Uwe Pfeil, Cluster Manager at TechBase Regensburg GmbH, welcomed the participants and introduced the panel discussion featuring four key stakeholders from industry, the city, and economic development: Andre Koos (KooSys), Dr. Georg Schwab (AVL Software and Functions GmbH), Prof. Dr. Georg Stephan Barfuß (City of Regensburg), and André Kühnle (Schaeffler AG).
The discussion impressively demonstrated that the transformation goes far beyond technical aspects—it is about new ways of thinking, collaboration, and regional development. Prof. Dr. Barfuß emphasized the need to change the mindset in the industry and summed it up: “From clearance dimensions to software.” Dr. Schwab from AVL expanded on this perspective with a focus on urban development and mobility concepts: “From software-defined vehicle to software-defined city.”
The second part of the event focused on specific regional flagship projects. Hermann Hampel (sdp - system design performance.) presented the “Smart Dynamic Public Lighting” project, which develops intelligent lighting control for urban spaces. This was followed by a presentation on a joint battery module line by Thomas D. (Webasto Group) and Florian Klimmer (Sonplas GmbH).
The Mobility Data Hub was another forward-looking project presented by Philipp Berr (Regensburg City Department of Economic Affairs and Science) and Florian Heitzer (Stadtwerk Regensburg.Mobilität GmbH), designed to aggregate mobility data and make it available through a network.
Finally, Joachim Scherrer (Bürger Energie Region Regensburg eG) presented the “Energieareal Regensburg Ost – ERO” project, which makes green electricity generated by citizens accessible to regional industry. His call to the region was clear: “We have the best conditions in the region—let’s put them into practice.”
The annual conference made it clear: The transformation in the automotive industry is in full swing—and in the Regensburg region, there are strong partnerships, creative solutions, and a shared goal of actively shaping this transformation.
Note
The event is part of the German federal government’s transformation networks (funding body: Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, BMWE). The Regensburg-based project transform.r supports companies in navigating structural change in the automotive industry.