Turnabout: Report Says Chinese Automaker To Use U.S. Parts in New Hybrid
By John O'Dell April 1, 2009
Score one, for the home team. Buyers of a new hybrid to be built and marketed in China by one of that country's largest automakers apparently will see "Made in the USA" stamped on several key components.
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that SAIC (Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp.) plans to use batteries from Massachusetts-based A213 Systems and electric motors and power controllers from Michigan-based Delphi Corp.
The companies involved haven't announced a deal -- the WSJ piece is based on comments from unidentified sources -- but it makes sense as SAIC already partners with both General Motors and Volkswagen to build various of their cars that are sold in China and other Asian markets, and is responsible for integrating Delphi and A123 Systems components into GM hybrids, the newspaper reported.
The Chinese government is encouraging the country's automakers to push ahead with hybrid- and electric-vehicle production as part of a national effort to improve air quality and reduce petroleum use.
A number of Chinese companies including BYD Auto, Brilliance and Chery, have announced electric vehicle and hybrid vehicle projects. Brillance just announced that it will show a small electric vehicle (no other details, sorry) at the upcoming Shanghai auto show, and BYD already is selling a plug-in hybrid that it introduced in December as the world's first mass-produced plug-in.
The SAIC hybrid, according to the Journal article, will use a system modeled on Honda Motor Co.'s -- the electric motor will be used principally to augment the internal combustion engine, with little emphasis on extended all-electric driving.
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