The first Automotive Transformation Conference at NOI Techpark Bruneck marked an important milestone for Europe’s collaborative mobility transformation. Over two days, representatives from nine European regions discussed how Electrification, Autonomous Vehicles, Connectivity and the Platform Economy (Mobility as a Service) are reshaping the automotive industry – and why cross-border cooperation is key to success.
Day 1 – Matchmaking, Innovation and Company Visits
The event kicked off with dynamic EEN B2B matchmaking sessions, where participants connected in short 15-minute meetings on the exhibition floor – creating dozens of new business contacts.
Afterwards, official welcome remarks were given by Johannes Brunner (NOI Techpark), Klaus Mutschlechner (President of Automotive Excellence South Tyrol) and Prof. Erwin Rauch (Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Sustainable Manufacturing Lab).
Following the business lunch, four leading companies of the region opened their doors and offered exclusive insights into their production and innovation projects:
- GKN Automotive – e-motor production for the Fiat 500e
- Intercable Automotive Solutions – e-connectors and busbars for e-mobility
- TTControl – off-highway autonomous operations cluster
- Leitner ConnX – ropeways meet autonomous vehicles
In the evening, Prof. Sergio M. Savaresi (Politecnico di Milano), serial founder and head of the AIDA – Artificial Intelligence Driving Autonomous project, delivered an inspiring Conference Dinner Talk.
He shared the story behind AIDA, which received the CES Innovation Award Honoree 2023 in Las Vegas for its AI-based digital twin for safe autonomous driving. His presentation vividly reflected Europe’s entrepreneurial and innovative spirit.
Day 2 – Keynotes, Best Practices and a Strong Message for Europe
The second day was officially opened by Moderator Jasmin da Rui , Vincent Mauroit (NOI Techpark) and Steve Schumann (Cluster Mobility & Logistics, Regensburg).
In two powerful keynotes:
- Prof. Bernhard Kölmel (Pforzheim University) outlined a holistic and pragmatic approach to the transformation of the automotive industry.
- Alexander Böhm (Schaeffler) continued with an overview of autonomous driving (Level 4) in Europe, calling for an “Airbus moment” for autonomous mobility.
The Interregional Best Practices session featured inspiring presentations from across Central Europe:
- Heliodor Macko (SEVA) – converting streetlamps into EV chargers
- Alessandro Denicolò (GKN Sinter Metals) – adapting core capabilities for e-mobility
- Florian Klimmer (Sonplas) – three best cases on how networking events evolved into concrete innovation projects and how AI-driven gigafactories create new opportunities
- Árpád Boros (Ingenics Consulting Hungary) – The Future of Electric Vehicles from a strategic and operational perspective
An interdisciplinary panel discussion brought together experts from science, logistics, industry, and start-ups.
The session concluded with the announcement that Business Upper Austria (Biz-Up) will host the next Automotive Transformation Conference 2026 in Linz.
Cluster Mobility & Logistics – Our Perspective
We at the Cluster Mobility & Logistics are proud that two speakers joined the event upon our invitation:
- Alexander Böhm (Schaeffler) – Autonomous Driving in Europe: Status and Challenges
- Florian Klimmer (Sonplas) – Best Practices and Opportunities through AI and Gigafactories
Several companies from our cluster ecosystem also presented as exhibitors on-site:
- Sonplas – precision automation for battery and e-mobility production
- Intica Systems – electronics and embedded solutions
- Koosys – cybersecurity and connectivity
- Heero Motors – modular electric mobility solutions
Additional partner companies from our region were present as visitors:
DENSO Automotive (Madhusudhan Vasavakkala), Baumann GmbH (Stefan Wendl), Autonomous Reply (Peter Schiekofer) and Dissecto (Alexander Meisel)
Driving Innovation – Connecting Central Europe.
Under this guiding principle, the first Automotive Transformation Conference was a full success – and a strong blueprint for round two in Linz 2026.