As the world's automotive R&D center shifts to China, the depth and intensity of multinational car companies' R&D in China is also expanding.
Recently, Daimler Greater China officially announced the launch of the new Mercedes-Benz passenger car China R&D center, which is not only the Daimler Group's third R&D center in Germany but also the United States and Japan. The overseas R&D center is also the largest R&D center established by Germany overseas. Prior to this, GM, Volkswagen, Nissan, Honda, Hyundai and other multinational auto giants have established R&D centers in China and have initially tasted the sweetness.
The industry believes that setting up a research and development center in China is not only conducive to the localization of products, but also helps multinational auto companies to integrate their manufacturing, R&D and operation sales in China with their global network. The products developed in China are not only suitable for the Chinese market, but also will have a place in its global product system.
Localization contest upgrade It is understood that Mercedes-Benz passenger car China R & D center covers an area of ​​10,000 square meters, with a variety of research and development experts and Mercedes-Benz advanced design center. The R&D center has set up five special R&D departments, including localization support and R&D and powertrain and test teams to build, evaluate and adjust models and engines that meet the needs of Chinese consumers, and establish good relationships with local suppliers. Partnership. The department responsible for vehicle safety and comfort, regulatory affairs and intellectual property will ensure that vehicle products comply with Chinese regulations, regulations and standards.
Tang Shikai, Chairman and CEO of Daimler Greater China Investment Co., Ltd., told Beijing Business Daily that the China R&D Center, like other R&D centers, will be integrated into a close-knit and complementary R&D network on a global scale. And the local R&D work is quickly advanced to a new level.
According to the plan, Mercedes-Benz will sell more than BMW and Audi back to the global luxury car championship in 2020, and the performance of the Chinese market is the key. To this end, the establishment of a new research and development center to strengthen China's localized research and development is an important layout in China. At the same time, the R&D center will help Daimler to fully tap the potential of the Chinese market. In the future, the design of Mercedes-Benz models will inevitably take into account more and more “Chinese-style needs”, and the China R&D Center will undoubtedly play a pivotal role in this process. .
The focus shifts to China It is worth noting that in the context of overseas auto giants gradually shifting their R&D functions to China, more and more multinational auto companies have established R&D centers, which also highlights the important position of the Chinese market.
It is reported that Mercedes-Benz has built a Beijing Mercedes-Benz R&D center in addition to the newly launched passenger car R&D center in China. When talking about the difference between the two, Mercedes-Benz Automotive Group Global Design Director Wagner said that Beijing Benz R & D Center will invest more energy in the development of a pair of products to be put into production, and the new Mercedes-Benz ride The China R&D Center will carry out more forward-looking product research and development, and will focus on discovering more suitable automotive elements in China and feedback to Daimler. In short, the former is aimed at the current product design, while the latter is aimed at the future.
In this regard, auto analyst Jia Xinguang said that the current research and development of multinational auto companies in China has entered the fourth stage. The first stage is to localize the imported models; the second stage is to adapt and upgrade the imported models in China; the third stage is to build models for the Chinese market; the fourth stage is to use the Chinese market as the first stage. Standard, research and development of global models. This will undoubtedly further enhance China's market position.
Autonomous car companies face challenges As the R&D centers of multinational car companies land in China, the industry is generally worried that this will pose a threat to local independent brands. Although the investment in R&D of local automakers has gradually increased in recent years, the gap with multinational automakers remains significant.
The latest statistics show that the total R&D expenses of 23 automakers last year was 20.9 billion yuan, an increase of 8% year-on-year, of which R&D expenses accounted for only 5.69% of the highest operating revenue. JDPower's latest survey results show that the quality gap between self-owned brands and foreign competitors still has a score of 36 points.
Compared with independent brands, the investment and construction of multinational car companies has obviously accelerated. The total investment in passenger car research and development of Daimler in China is about 865 million yuan, of which about 105 million yuan is for the construction of the Mercedes-Benz passenger car China R&D center. The Toyota R&D center completed last year (China) The total investment of the company is as high as 689 million US dollars. Multinational auto companies set up R&D centers in China with the aim of understanding the needs of local consumers more closely and producing products that are more suitable for localization.
However, Jia Xinguang believes that multinational car companies have advanced technology and experience and are leading domestic companies in research and development. Although the localization of multinational auto companies will increase competition with independent brands, it will also help promote the development of the domestic auto market and gradually realize the transformation from a large automobile manufacturing country to a large research and development country.