GM to Build Laboratory in China to 'Tap Country's Outstanding Research Talent'
By Scott Doggett September 24, 2009
General Motors announced today that it will create a laboratory in Shanghai to contribute to technological innovation in a number of automotive-related fields for GM both domestically and on a worldwide basis.
The announcement came less than a month after GM disclosed that its sales in China in the first eight months of this year increased 49.6 percent on an annual basis to 1,111,401 vehicles.
The China Science Lab (pictured) will be the first major laboratory established by a global automaker in China. In a statement, GM said the lab's initial focus will be on research related to advanced propulsion technology and joining technology.
But the lab will also focus on battery cells, megacity safety research, advanced vehicle development, and light materials. It will engage in additional activities in accordance with market conditions and its own research capability as it ramps up.
The lab will also carry out collaborative work with universities and government-run scientific institutions across China. It is expected to employ up to 100 staff during its early stage of operation. No specifics were provided regarding the lab's scheduled construction and opening dates or its cost.
Kevin Wale, president and managing director of the GM China Group, said that through the lab, "we will leverage the country's outstanding research talent together with GM's extensive resources to come up with new innovations for the benefit of vehicle users around the globe."
John Du, who has 20 years of professional experience in technology research management, will oversee research and technology development at the lab.
The GM-China relationship dates back more than eight decades. GM has nine joint ventures and two wholly owned foreign enterprises as well as more than 32000 employees in China.
GM, along with its joint ventures, offers the broadest lineup of vehicles and brands among automakers in China. Products are sold under the Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Opel, Saab, Wuling and Jiefang nameplates.
In 2008, domestic sales of vehicles by GM and its joint ventures rose 6.1 percent on an annual basis to a record 1,094,561 units. GM ended 2008 with an estimated market share in China of 12.1 percent. It has been the sales leader among global automakers in China for four consecutive years.
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Is it just me, or did the design artist actually include smog in the rendered image?
If so, that's hilarious.
Definitely smog. Either a literalist or an artist with a sense of the absurd, or both.
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