On June 26, the "500-day Countdown to the 15th National Games, Gathering in Guangzhou – China-Italy Sports and Cultural Exchange Storysharing Session" was held in Guangzhou. As one of the highlights of the activities for 500-day countdown to the 15th National Games, 12th National Games for Persons with Disabilities and 9th National Special Olympic Games (referred to as the "15th Games, 12th NGD and 9th NSOG"), this event aims to gather and share touching stories of sports and cultural exchanges between China and Italy, expressing the intimate friendship between the two countries. Zhu Xiaoyao, Deputy Director of the executive committee in Guangzhou area of the 15th Games, 12th NGD and 9th NSOG and Deputy Secretary General of the Guangzhou Municipal Government, and Valerio De Parolis, Consul General of Italy in Guangzhou, attended and delivered speeches. Marco Mario Gilardi, Former CTO and Expert Consultant of GAC R&D Center, was invited to share stories. The sharing session also involved guests from sports, literary and artistic circles of China and Italy.

 

 

At the event, Mark shared his experiences of working with GAC. According to his recollection, since joining the GAC R&D Center in 2009, he has participated in the development of GAC Group's first own brand sedan, GAC Motor, and led the complete-vehicle design and development. He shared in detail about his experience and achievements in major technical fields such as vehicle dynamic performance, chassis tuning, vehicle lightweighting, intelligent connected vehicles and new energy.

 

 

"Guangzhou is a city with a long history and brilliant civilization. As the starting point of the Maritime Silk Road, it was also one of the first port cities in China opening up to the world, providing access for craftsmen to export exquisite artworks," he said. He added that during his time in GAC, he was amazed by the artistic craftsmanship of car-making in this city. With strong R&D capacity that integrates international innovative elements, GAC Group is striving to create the beauty of automotive art and spread it around the world, which has further deepened the cooperation and exchanges regarding the auto industry between China and Italy.

 

 

In recent years, GAC Group has fully responded to the needs of international development. While further exploring the local Guangzhou market, it keeps its eye on the world by building a global R&D network covering Guangzhou, Shanghai, Xiamen, Los Angeles, and Milan, with an international R&D team of more than 6,000 talents and round-the-clock R&D endeavor. It is worth mentioning that GAC R&D Center Europe and GAC Advanced Design Center Milan officially started operation in Milan, Italy in 2022. The milestone not only demonstrates GAC's globalization strategy, but also has promoted friendly exchanges and cooperation between China and Italy in the field of auto industry and culture, jointly unveiling a new chapter of automotive art.

 

 

In addition, GAC Group greatly supports the exchanges and cooperation in sports and culture between the two countries. With the approaching of the 15th Games, 12th NGD and 9th NSOG, GAC Group will leverage its strengths as an automaker to support the sports events.