share on BufferThe facility is part of a 112 million EUR investment – 13.5 million EUR for the site alone – and in the future it will employ 500 highly qualified engineeres and designers.
The all-new Advanced Design Studio is a centerpiece of the R&D facility and represents the company’s new design hub in Asia.
It is dedicated to offering Chinese customers an even more enjoyable Mercedes-Benz experience by putting new functions like ‘Colour & Trim’ and ‘User Interface Experience’ design on the company’s local design map.
Fully equipped with state-of-the-art technology, it covers the widest fields of activities amongst Mercedes-Benz’s passenger car design studios outside of Germany: All necessary steps of car design can be done here – from first sketches to 1:1 clay models.
As an integral part of Daimler’s global design network, the studio will generate creative inspirations from China, and incorporate these into Mercedes-Benz’ global design philosophy.
A first glimpse of this interaction was given at the official opening when Gorden Wagener, Head of Design Daimler AG, presented the Mercedes-Benz G-Code, a sporty crossover show car, inspired by the lifestyles and digital cultures of contemporary Chinese society.
Apart from Advanced Design, there are five departments working for Mercedes-Benz Research & Development China in Beijing. The teams for Localization & Development and Powertrain & Testing adapt vehicles and engines to Chinese needs, take care of testing, and establish cooperation with local suppliers.
Official Statements
Hubertus Troska, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG responsible for China, commented: “For the automotive industry, China has become the most important market worldwide. The country is truly in fast forward mode – we recognize this importance and reflect it in our local R&D activities, which we are clearly pushing forward to the next level.”
“As a key element for our sustainable growth strategy in China, our new R&D Center will help us to fully tap our potential here and give our Chinese customers’ voice even more weight in our global network and future product development.”
Prof. Dr. Thomas Weber, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG, responsible for Group Research and Mercedes-Benz Cars Development, commented: “With our new R&D Center in China, we are progressing our strategy of the internationalization of our R&D, showing our full commitment and dedication to China, a key market for us.”
“Establishing a close-knit and complementary network of R&D Centers across the globe will enable us to incorporate local taste, needs and trends into our products much faster, supporting our vision to become the world’s largest premium car manufacturer by the end of the decade.”
Mercedes-Benz Global R&D Network
Group Research and Mercedes-Benz Cars Development employs a workforce of 14,600 at 21 facilities in 10 countries worldwide, with a total R&D investment of 11 billion Euros in 2012/2013.
The company’s global R&D headquarters is located at Sindelfingen and Untertürheim near Stuttgart.
Besides the new facility in Beijing, Daimler’s global R&D network includes two more international Competence Centers: Specialists at Sunnyvale in the USA focus on innovations for the so-called “digital
drivestyle” and Bangalore in India is home to the Competence Center for digital product development and IT.
(Source: Mercedes-Benz)
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