On August 22, 2023, the AEB, together with the leading organizer of exhibitions for the automotive industry ITEMF Expo, held the 14th International Automotive Forum IMAF-2023 in Moscow.

For many years, the forum has been making a significant contribution to the comprehensive development of dialogue and cooperation between Russian and foreign companies - representatives of the automotive industry, government authorities and the business community.

This year the theme of the forum was "Transformation and the future of the global and Russian automotive market." The speakers discussed the current challenges facing market participants, the strategies and prospects for the development of the automotive industry, the necessary state support measures for automotive industry suppliers and automakers.

At the beginning of the plenary session, the Forum participants were addressed with a welcoming speech by Anna Manvelova, General Director, ITEMF Expo, and Tadzio Schilling, CEO of the Association of European Businesses, who also moderated the plenary discussion.

During the plenary session, the speakers discussed the strategy for the development of the automotive industry until 2035, the necessary state support measures for automotive suppliers and automakers, and the role of industrial parks in the development of the industry.

Rustam Abulmambetov, Head of the Department for the Development of Mechanical Engineering, Light and Chemical Industry of the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation, spoke about how the landscape of manufacturers in the industry has diversified. Sergey Kurbatov, Vice-Governor of the Lipetsk region, described the strategy for the development of the automotive industry and the production of agricultural machinery in the region. Nikolai Schmidt, Deputy General Director for Marketing and Commerce of FSUE NAMI, spoke about NAMI's view on approaches to the localization of auto components, the ongoing examination of the needs of the industry. Alexey Podshchekoldin, President of ROAD, spoke about the adaptation of dealers to new market players, purchasing power in the car market. Hans-Peter Moser, General Director of MAZ Moskvich, Alexey Likhachev, Director of Strategy and Digital Technologies of GAZ, Alexander Vinogradov, Head of the Department for Cooperation with Federal Authorities and Industry Organizations of JSC AVTOVAZ, presented an expert assessment of the market structure, key industry challenges and shared their plans. Alexey Belyaev, Director of Strategic Projects, Smart Driving Laboratory, spoke about the digital environment for a car.

As part of the analytical session moderated by Tatyana Kofanova, Partner, Department of Taxes and Law, DRT, the experts presented an analysis of the production and sales of trucks, cars and buses, as well as discussed the customs and legal aspects of the automotive market. Tatyana Arabadzhi, Head of the National Agency for Industrial Information Agency (NAPI), Sergey Tselikov, Head of the Avtostat analytical agency, Rafael Gabdrakhmanov, General Director of the Vatan Machine-Building Holding, Wilhelmina Shavshina, Partner, Head of the Group of Services for International Trade and Customs Regulation of the Group of Companies B1, Amir Khasanov, Senior Associate, Yalilov & Partners LLC, took part in the discussion.

Traditionally, a round table "BIG Data in the automotive industry" was held and moderated by Ekaterina Cherednichenko, Vice President of NP GLONASS. Participants discussed the availability and improvement of data quality, cybersecurity and data protection. The speakers of the round table were Ekaterina Kochergina, Deputy General Director for Business Development of AUTODATASPACE, Andrey Burlak, Deputy General Director for Retail Sales of IC Absolut Insurance, Yaroslav Fedoseev, PR Director, InsurTech provider Simble, Mikhail Savushkin, Business Development Manager , Kaspersky Lab, Yaroslav Domaratsky, Technical Director, Sreda Solutions, Maria Mochalina, Chief Data Analyst, Passport Industrial Consulting JSC, Viktor Smurov, Director of the Directorate for the Design of Electrical Equipment and Vehicle Systems of AvtoVAZ JSC.

The forum ended with an innovative session dedicated to the development of electric transport in Russia, the use of AI in the automotive industry. The session was moderated by Kirill Zhanaydarov, Head of Transport Infrastructure Projects, Skolkovo Foundation. The session was attended by Tatyana Gorovaya, Director for Government Relations of Lada St. Petersburg LLC, Vladimir Trofimenko, Advisor to the General Director of FSUE NAMI.

We are confident that the Forum, as in previous years, has confirmed its high reputation, and its specific recommendations will be reflected in practice in the near future.