German automotive manufacturer Daimler has opened a new product development center in China, under a joint venture with the Fujian Benz Automotive.
The center includes a design and computation department, a proving ground, several component and complete-vehicle test rigs, an electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) lab, an exhaust gas lab, a prototype production department, an endurance testing workshop, and other facilities.
A total CNY500m ($79.5m) was invested by the companies in the new center that lays emphasis on the Mercedes-Benz van models made and sold in China including the Sprinter, the Vito and the Viano.
The new center is divided into two, of which one part is the overall vehicle development department located at the Fujian Benz production plant in Qinkou, which is responsible for product development, prototype construction, component and complete-vehicle testing.
Apart from the 11,000sqm vehicle development department, the Qinkou production plant also has a 53,000sqm proving ground, a 1,400m circuit that includes a test track, a torture track, a steeply banked curve, and a water trough.
The second part of the center is located in a neighboring industrial area and has an EMC lab, the exhaust gas test lab, and the chassis dynamometers housed in an area of over 8,000sqm.