Bye, bye American middle class pie…
General Motors and its Chinese communist government dictated partners – SAIC, Shanghai GM and the Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center – have opened what is said to be China’s largest automotive proving grounds with 37 miles or 60 kilometers of test roads. The 5.67-square-kilometer (2.18 square miles) Guangde Proving Ground in Guangde County, Anhui, represents an investment of RMB 1.6 billion ($253 million), but the actual individual investments were not enumerated. Shanghai GM and PATAC are managing the proving ground’s operation, which includes support facilities to test 67 different driving conditions.
It is the latest transfer or growth limitation of white-collar professional salaried jobs from the U.S. taxpayer controlled company to businesses operating in the world’s largest auto market, which is strictly regulated by the Chinese Central government in a successful jobs creation program that requires local partners and onshore investment as the price of doing business.
“Our goal from the beginning was to make this a world-class facility. The greatest beneficiary will be our customers, who will receive even higher-quality vehicles that are equal to those built and sold anywhere else in the world,” said Kevin Wale, president, GM China, and chief country operations officer, China, India and ASEAN.
The China proving grounds will develop, validate and certify vehicles weighing less than 7.5 tons. It can accommodate as many as 140 vehicles for testing simultaneously. About 20 million kilometers (12.4 million miles) of testing is expected to be conducted annually.
To simulate different driving conditions in China, the proving grounds contains eight specific test areas: an oval track, vehicle dynamics and handling, a long straightaway, a ride loop, a noise road, a durability test area, a corrosion test area and a hill test area. In addition, it has 23,000 square meters (247,569 square feet) of auxiliary space for labs, repair facilities and private workshops.
Shanghai GM builds, sells and – to limited degree imports – Buick, Cadillac and Chevrolet vehicles. In 2011, it had record domestic sales of 1.2 million vehicles, virtually all of them locally produced. PATAC provides automotive engineering services, including design, development, testing and validation of components and vehicles.
See:
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- More Jobs to China as GM Will Develop a New Global Engine Family with SAIC and Pan Asian Technical Center
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- Great Leap Forward! GM China Announces Five Year Plan to Double Sales by Introducing 60 New and Upgraded Models
