Chevrolet Volt's drive unit, motors, power electronics and engine will be tested in the new centre
Time for some test procedures will be reduced from 24 hours to 20 minutes
Dubai, United Arab Emirates - Time equals money, and in keeping with this formula, General Motors has now opened a brand-new, state-of-the-art global Powertrain Engineering Development Centre in Michigan in the United State, that will bring advanced, fuel-saving powertrains to market faster and at less cost by reducing 10 weeks from its powertrain development process.
Combined with other global powertrain development and testing efficiencies under way, including aggressive use of math modelling, GM will have saved more than $200 million cumulatively in development and testing costs by the end of this year.
The Powertrain Engineering Development Centre, which brings together 1,200 employees from several engineering centres, is adjacent to GM Powertrain's Global Headquarters. Combined, the Powertrain Engineering Development Centre and GM Powertrain Global Headquarters will employ approximately 4,300.
The 450,000-square-foot facility is the largest and most technically advanced powertrain development centre in the world. It's where GM will develop and test the Chevrolet Volt's electric drive unit, motors, power electronics and engine; electric motors for fuel cell and hybrid powertrains; and other advanced gasoline, biofuel and clean diesel engines and transmissions. It is the model for 11 additional GM powertrain laboratories around the globe.
"This new global engineering development centre significantly strengthens our ability to design, develop and test our products, as well as offer customers an unprecedented choice of advanced powertrains that save fuel, reduce emissions and deliver great performance," said Tom Stephens, executive vice president, GM Powertrain and Global Quality.
"The centre will use a common, global laboratory operating system that will enable round-the-clock development with the flexibility to develop many new powertrain technologies," he continued.
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About GM
General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM), the world's largest automaker, has been the annual global industry sales leader for 77 years. Founded in 1908, GM today employs about 266,000 people around the world. With global headquarters in Detroit, GM manufactures its cars and trucks in 35 countries. In 2007, nearly 9.37 million GM cars and trucks were sold globally under the following brands: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, GM Daewoo, Holden, HUMMER, Opel, Pontiac, Saab, Saturn, Vauxhall, and Wuling. GM's OnStar subsidiary is the industry leader in vehicle safety, security and information services.
In the Middle East since the 1920s, GM's vehicle brands sold in the region are Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, HUMMER and Saab supported by a unique set of customer-focused services. GM parts and accessories are sold under the GM Parts and ACDelco brands. The regional office in Dubai covers the company's operations in Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, UAE and Yemen. In 2007, GM sold 135,894 vehicles in the Middle East.
For more media material, please visit GM's global media website media.gm.com where you link to various country sites including the Middle East media website http://media.gm.com/me/gm/en/ . More information on GM and its products can be found on the company's consumer websites www.gm.com and www.gmarabia.com.
On 16th September 2008, General Motors will celebrate its 100th birthday. A series of activities and initiatives will take place during the year, under the banner of GMnext, to showcase the company's accomplishments and vision for the future. For more details on GM's centennial, log on to www.gmnext.com
For more information, please contact:
Saada Hammad
Communications and Public Relations Manager
General Motors Middle East
Tel (+9714) 3143350
Email: saada.hammad@gm.com
© Press Release 2008
