China’s Great Wall establishes Austrian R&D centre
February 19, 2018
Chinese auto manufacturer Great Wall Motor Company Limited (GWM) has opened a Research and Development Company in Austria. At an opening ceremony attended by more than 120 guests, GWM stated that the new R&D centre will focus on new energy vehicles and automobile parts, new energy motors and controllers.
The Austrian company will function as a wholly-owned subsidiary of GWM, and its launch follows the opening of similar R&D centres in Japan, the USA and India, as part of the automaker’s global strategy. GWM plans to invest a total of €20 million into the company by 2020 and reportedly aims to become “a new force of Chinese branding in the area of ‘SMART manufacture’ in Europe and even the world.”
The centre is expected to employ an international R&D team experienced in motors and controllers and will draw on Austria’s local automotive expertise. “They have powerful creativity especially in areas like new energy, new material, lightweight structure and automobile parts, and thus are credited as the ‘Silicon Valley of the automobile industry’,” stated GWM. By launching its latest R&D centre in Austria, the company hopes to quickly develop its strength in these areas.
In the future, GWM reported that it will continue to expand its overseas operations with a growing network of R&D-focused subsidiaries, focusing on the development of products to meet global demands.
