With an intent to learn, Chongqing Changan Automobile, China’s third largest domestic automaker, has opened a technical centre in the US to conduct chassis research and development for its brands in China, according to a news report.
The US$30 mil R&D centre, located in Detroit, will start off with 30 employees, though this number is expected to rise to around 200 over the next five years. The company has two other centres, a design one in Turin as well as a technical facility to develop powertrains, located in the UK.
Changan will work with US-based parts suppliers to develop suspension components, brakes, chassis and power steerings, and said it was the first step for the company to fix the weak link in its technology, which is with the chassis. The company stated that the centre is not meant to help the brand enter the US market.
While Changan has a three-way joint venture with Ford and Mazda, as well as a partnership with PSA Peugeot Citroen, it is also spending heavily to upgrade its vehicle technology. Late last year, it said it would be pumping in more than US$600 mil to conduct R&D for its own brands, as well as develop small engines and expand its minivan production.
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This is I am impressed… and they are younger then proton no? the power of economy of scale…
When is our turn for P1 to set up a proper R&D centre in US? Despite we have Lotus, P1 is still weak in chasis and new car developments. Suprisingly, money was wrongly spent in F1 racing instead.
If Proton does have an R&D center in the US, typical Malaysians would then question why need to use taxpayers money to build R&D center in US blah blah blah. Malaysians wouldn’t be impressed one bit, they only know how to condemn.
(Heck, I bet the recent news about Proton raising RM 2 billion money from CIMB to finance Lotus would be misinterpreted as “using our tax money!”)
Remember that rally car chassis being sold in Japan by Cusco recently, I heard the chassis is PROTON’s!!
its good 4 proton 2 have lotus.. i think its much way better than build r&d oversea coz lotus r&d already good..
mybe need focus on engine aje..
Hmmm… This is a bit strange. It’s not like the americans have the best chasis for their cars.
but they have the 2nd biggest car market in the world. It makes business sense to open a R&D center there.
Its not strange. I’m sure there are aspirations to eventually sell to US/Canada.
With the Big 3 loosing a lot of senior people there, it would make for choice pickings.
no matter wat, proton car is better than china one…. although ppl bash proton, but if given a choice, between china n proton..they wil choose proton…. but we should not compare who is worse, we should compare who is better…. proton quality control if better, then it will progress very fast d… who can accept if the iafm , power window, central door lock spoil repeatedly…. if proton can correct this 3 simple thing… it wil become very popular d… i think got some rasuah in the supplier… if not why cant proton change the supplier of tat part
Proton day are numbered. It’s becoming a smaller & smaller carmaker when all this China Carmaker grown up. Any doubt…just look at the stealth fighter jet under development. The chinese never sit still & they move forward really very fast!!
It looks like Proton is better than Changan in chassis development, ha ha.