Henrik Fisker, the automotive designer behind cars like the BMW Z8 and the Aston Martin DB9, will soon unveil his newest design — driverless cars for China.

At the end of November, the designer announced that his company will cooperate with China's Hakim Unique Group, the conglomerate of more than 160 wholly-owned or partly-controlled companies developing smart city infrastructure, to jointly produce autonomous vehicles in the country.

"We have expressions of interest from several large Chinese financial institutions, as everybody agrees China will be the largest electric car market in the world and Fisker is one of the early pioneers with a strong brand that can take a large market share, especially with a future production facility in China," Fisker said.

Alan Murray, editor-in-chief of Fortune magazine, said at the Fortune Global Forum in Guangzhou on Dec. 6 that technology is reshaping the business world in ways never seen before. Like Fisker, several foreign companies are hoping to strike gold in the Chinese market with technological products. 

In order to attract young Chinese customers, Fisker explained why his product makes public transportation desirable. "The ride will be extremely smooth, with gentle acceleration and gentle stopping, due to specific programming. The exterior was designed with a sloping roof and a strong side graphic to show which direction it is going. The exterior design features large digital communicators that are fully connected and will be adjusted in real time," Fisker said.

Fisker also proposed the concept of a "smart city" in which driverless cars will be deployed in public places as well as on corporate and university campuses. Passengers will use apps to decide which vehicles to take. Fisker believes that this new kind of transportation will fit passengers' lifestyles better than it does today.

"In the future, transport will be like a menu in a restaurant. The consumer will have many options depending on their needs and it will still include the private car as well, when it fits the need or desire," he said.

According to Fisker, the advanced battery technology of these smart vehicles will be fully clean and good for the environment. "This breakthrough marks the beginning of a new era in solid-state materials and manufacturing technologies," said Fabio Albano, vice-president of battery systems at Fisker. "We are addressing all of the hurdles that solid-state batteries have encountered on the path to commercialization, such as performance in cold temperatures."

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