GM Moves Advanced R&D To China

GM Moves Advanced R&D To China

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Today, GM broke ground for another R&D Center in China, called the GM China Advanced Technical Center. The new facility is in addition to existing R&D centers in China, including the Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center (PATAC) in Shanghai and the China Automotive Energy Research Center (CAERC) in Beijing.

The new facility is adjacent to the GM International Operations and GM China Headquarters in Shanghai. With 300 engineers in 62 test labs and nine research labs, it will develop advanced vehicle designs and technology solutions for GM on a domestic and global basis, said GM in a press release. The center will be part of GM?s global engineering and design network, and provide input to GM affiliates the world over.

The CATC will focus mostly on new propulsion systems, gasoline alternatives, electrification systems and new engines and battery cells.

Construction of the GM China Advanced Technical Center will be completed by the end of 2011.

Reply to
Jim_Higgins
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Your Subject line is misleading. GM is not "moving" advanced R&D to China. The article say they are opening ANOTHER R&D Center in China. Like it or not, China is now the worlds largest auto market. Doesn't it seem appropriate for GM to have an R&D center in that market (like the ones they have in Europe, Australia, tjhe US, South America, etc., etc.).

Reply to
C. E. White

The US R&D Centers seem to move overseas a bit at a time. Eventually we will be another backwater whose time in the sun has passed.

Reply to
Jim_Higgins

Then how do you explain Toyota's recent move to move more R&D to the US? Also Toyota has also moved more R&D to China...just like GM.

When developing a car for a particualr market, it makes a lot of sense to have R&D centers in that market. I doubt the engineers stationed in the US have a good feel for the wants and needs of the Chinese. If GM is to suceed in China, they can't hope to sell lightly revised US designs. On the other hand, I doubt the mass market cars in China will sell very well here. The Chinese will need to adopt the methods employed by Toyota, Hyundai exc, if they plan to build cars for the US market. I'll be a lot more worried about our future when you post an article announcing that Greely (or another Chinese Manufacturer) is opening a US R&D center.

I am also a lot more worried about Ford selling Volvo to the Chinese than I am about GM trying to suceed at selling cars in China by opening an R&D center in China.

Ed

Reply to
C. E. White

A sad commentary on US companies.

Reply to
Jim_Higgins

I thought it was a sad commentary on Volvo. Ford is sucessful in Europe (near the top in terms of market share). They were practically giving Volvo away, yet no other European manufacturer seemed interested. I suppose Volvo was better than SAAB, since Ford did end up getting something for it. GM essentially paid someone to take SAAB. If I ran one of the rich German makes (Diaimler, BMW,VW), I would have bought Volvo just to keep the Chinese out, even if I just closed Volvo down. For that matter, Renault, Puegot, or Fiat should have ponied up the money instead of letting the Chinese buy Volvo and used the Volvo US dealers to re-enter the US market. It seems to me that the lack of interest in Volvo (and Jaguar and Land Rover for that matter) by other European companies just shows how stupid Ford's former CEO (Nasser) was when he bought them at ridiculously high prices. He wasted billions on loser companies that should have been invested in the Ford and Lincoln brands.

Ed

Reply to
C. E. White

In message , C. E. White writes

Again it all comes down to lack of knowledge of the market you want to sell into. Ford have a reputation as a maker of cars that look nice, but their mechanical integrity and advanced engineering is just not there. I suppose it's lucky, or researched, that the female half of the population doesn't care what's under the bonnet as long as the colour is nice and the wheels go around. Ergo research and design in the market you want to move into, where you can test the water before committing yourself, remember the Edsel?

Reply to
Clive

I am not sure wht you mean by advanced engineering. I assume your are talking from a European perspective. I don't have much experience with European Fords, but in the US I'd say Fords tend to have "mechanical integrity and advanced engineering" at least as good as the domestic and Asian competitors and the mechanical intergrity is far superior to most of the Europen stuff sold in the US. Admittedly BMWs and other European cars sold in the US tend to be loaded up with a lot of interesting but largely useless technology (what exactly is the excuse for "i-drive"), but the mechanical integrity of the typical European car is crap. I am not sure there is a vehicle currently sold in the US that has worse mecahnical integrty than a VW unless it is a BMW or a Land Rover. I'd love to own a new

5 series BMW becasue they drive much better than the typical US sedan...BUT..I'd never have one as an only car and until I win the lottery it is unlikely I'll ever buy one at all.

Ed

Reply to
C. E. White

In message , C. E. White writes

Things must be very basic over there.

Maybe all the crap that isn't wanted here gets exported to you.

So you've been to Europe and driven the cars, have you. Because as far as I can see, the only similarity between your cars and ours is the names of models, but in reality they're for a different market and are made to different standard.

VW might make rubbish over their, it's pretty good over here however. BMW is well known in Europe as a producer of cars with good balance and grip, our roads aren't dead straight for hundreds of miles therefore the stodge you drive would not go down well here. Indeed, I had a holiday in Florida a few years ago and had a Dodge Avenger as a rental car, why oh why do they still use drum brakes on the rear, they fade when they get hot, especially in a car that size. The fuel consumption was horrendous with only 326 on a tank of fuel. I can get 600 out of a tank on my little car.

So would most of us if we were honest.

It's an aspirational purchase for most of us.

Reply to
Clive

Good move. Tehy are the only part of GM doing anything right.

Reply to
Canuck57

Opening today is a closing here tomorrow. Give them a chance to out perform Detroit lethargy. hen it will be just another US facility closure for taxpayers to clean up.

If governemtn was smart, offer GM to the Chinese to cover all the bailouts related to GM...if they would pay that much? Say $100 billion?

Bu we would win even if they offered $20 billion as them GM is out of our pockets once and for all.

Reply to
Canuck57

Especially since Volvo makes a better ride!

Reply to
Canuck57

It is, for 3 decades or more technical savvy and American spirit have taken a back seat to corporate corruption, executive botch jobs and an increasing corrupt governemnt system.

As a technical person, 30 years ago I had control over my job. Today I have 30 know nothings in my way.

Just the opposite of what China is doing.

Reply to
Canuck57

I have only owned two Fords, 3 GM and 2 Chrysler. Others were foreign.

Chrysler is the worst, GM in the last decade is second worst.

Of Detroit, only Ford delivered to top quality rides. A 2000 Special Edition Ford Taurus SEL. And a F150 Lariat which I still own. The Taurus, the dealer buggerd it up on a oil change at 6200 miles so fFord assited me in getting the dealer to eat it on lemon law. *lived in teh US at the time.

Can't say for the rest of Ford, but you will only get my F150 out of my cold dead hands.

But the next one, going to consider a non-CAW/UAW one from China... a slow down in China they will look to export and I hear they make a nice

4x4 for about $10k.
Reply to
Canuck57

In message , Canuck57 writes

If only it were that simple. Once married Daimler and Chrysler couldn't get divorced without a long complicated procedure. I know (according to the news) that Daimler wanted to get out of the tie up many years ago, but was stopped because they owed money into the Chrysler vast pension pot. I think the current arrangement is only able because Fiat has great ideas about a modern company needing to make more than five million cars a year to survive, so they lifted a lot of the shares that Daimler held, although Daimler still has a 10 to 12% stake in Chrysler. If I remember correctly, and I could well be wrong, the Chrysler pension pot is what is holding or weighing the company down. I don't suppose they have this problem in China, which means they have more money to invest in modern plant and machinery.

Reply to
Clive

Sort of is. Just close the doors, hand out fired slips and severence is in the mail.

Done deal.

Reply to
Canuck57

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