Changan opens R&D centre in the US for chassis work

Changan opens R&D centre in the US for chassis workWith 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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Anthony Lim

Anthony Lim believes that nothing is better than a good smoke and a car with character, with good handling aspects being top of the prize heap. Having spent more than a decade and a half with an English tabloid daily never being able to grasp the meaning of brevity or being succinct, he wags his tail furiously at the idea of waffling - in greater detail - about cars and all their intrinsic peculiarities here.

 

Comments

  • Citroen DS3 on Jan 19, 2011 at 11:37 am

    This is I am impressed… and they are younger then proton no? the power of economy of scale…

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  • engdau on Jan 19, 2011 at 11:45 am

    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.

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    • Tiadaid on Jan 19, 2011 at 1:50 pm

      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!”)

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    • clutch basah on Jan 21, 2011 at 10:33 am

      Remember that rally car chassis being sold in Japan by Cusco recently, I heard the chassis is PROTON’s!!

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  • autobot on Jan 19, 2011 at 11:56 am

    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..

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  • JasJos on Jan 19, 2011 at 12:02 pm

    Hmmm… This is a bit strange. It’s not like the americans have the best chasis for their cars.

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    • but they have the 2nd biggest car market in the world. It makes business sense to open a R&D center there.

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    • 4G63tDSM on Jan 19, 2011 at 4:05 pm

      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.

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  • 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

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    • Rockmebaby on Jan 19, 2011 at 9:57 pm

      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!!

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  • Jimmy on Jan 19, 2011 at 10:52 pm

    It looks like Proton is better than Changan in chassis development, ha ha.

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