OREANDA-NEWS. April 07, 2016.Over 20 China-based international media recently gathered at Bookworm Beijing for a panel discussion on urban mobility. John Larsen, mobility director, Ford Asia Pacific; Dr. Hai Jiang, associate professor, Industrial Engineering, Tsinghua University; and Dr. Kevin Mo, managing director, Paulson Institute Beijing, discussed three major topics concerning China: rapid urbanization, a growing middle class, as well as the country’s ambitions to create a sustainable future.

“Ford is an automotive as well as a smart mobility company,” said Larsen. “With China’s rapid urbanization and the ensuing traffic gridlock, I believe there are opportunities for us to provide something that customers want today.”

At the event, held in the casual environment of a bookstore, panelists from various backgrounds spoke in front of an earnest audience, contributing to an enthusiastic discussion.

Below are some thoughts from media on Ford Smart Mobility and the event:

“I found this forum to be refreshing and I’m certainly looking forward to seeing this kind of event more in the future. Topics such as how companies are dealing with new technology and trends, how they incorporate new ways of handling emerging challenges such as what we discussed today would be great.”

-       Christian Sheperd, Financial Times

“I learned so much from being here. The panelists offer such a wide range of perspective on mobility issues and solutions. It is my first time to know that Ford is a mobility company and the discussion tonight really helped me understand how China is approaching these issues.”

-       Han Shi, resident scholar, Carnegie-Tsianghua Center for Global Policy

“I (our publication) have been following Ford’s news for a long time, and I have interviewed some of your leaders in the past. The first time I heard about Ford being a mobility company was from Mark Fields at CES, but the discussion tonight helped me learn more about how and why Ford is doing this.”

-       Lei Xing, China Automotive News

“China is going through its own disruption and it is critical to have participation and collaboration to improve the mobility landscape. I was not aware of Ford’s mobility initiatives in China and would love to know that it is actively making progress for people in this country.”

-       Mia, researcher, New York Times

“It will be really interesting to see how Ford transforms to being a mobility company, sooner than later. And more so in places like Asia – China/India in particular – where mobility challenges are experienced the most.”

-       Mark Magnier, China Economics Editor, Wall Street Journal