Chen Zhixin: R & D of SAIC Volkswagen for China

“We will be the Chinese public and we will not be inferior to these brands in the future.” Talking about SAIC's own brand, the general manager of SAIC Passenger Cars, Chen Zhixin, is full of hope. Since 2006, SAIC's own brand has been established for more than five years. Facing the market's lagging behind in the “self-owned brand” technology and appearance plagiarism, SAIC refused to “reverse develop” and insisted on establishing its own complete R&D system. Through 25 years of experience in joint ventures with Volkswagen and General Motors, SAIC R&D's core competencies have emerged on the basis of digesting and absorbing overseas advanced platform technologies.

>> R&D System Domestic and Foreign Linkages After more than five years of development, Shanghai Automotive has built three technology centers at home and abroad. One is Shanghai Anting Technology Center, one is Nanjing Technology Center, and the other is Birmingham, England. SAIC Technology Center. The three technical centers cooperate closely with each other, and the three regions conduct professional division of labor and the project management is all in series.

The Shanghai Technology Center has 1800 engineers and undertakes R&D of the entire process of its own brand products. It is the main body of SAIC R&D. The entire technology center has invested 4 billion yuan to cover all the equipment needed for vehicle development. By the end of 2014, it will become The largest vehicle development center in Asia; the Nanjing Technology Center is relatively simple to cooperate with MG's existing product support and Pukou base project support; the British Technology Center is the chief engineer and the R&D backbone of Rover, which was incorporated by SAIC in 2007 and has now been developed into 300 people, although the number is small, but they have more than 25 years of experience in the industry. They have rich experience in the development of the vehicle. They have undertaken the development work in the early stage of the product and the conceptual design phase; as a supplement, Shanghai New Energy R&D base is It is mainly responsible for the development of new energy core components. This is SAIC's independent R&D system created by reference to Volkswagen, GM's global development process, and Rover and Ssangyong product development processes. SAIC Executive Vice President and General Manager of SAIC Passenger Vehicles Chen Zhixin summed up SAIC's R&D model: “China leads, global linkage, and one overseas.”

>> Body development Self-developed vehicle In 2007, SAIC acquired Rover, and afterwards cooperated with Ssangyong. In this process, the SAIC R&D team learned the research and development capabilities and turned it into its own. After a long period of exploration and absorption, it was no longer pure. Imitation, they can already carry on brand-new whole vehicle development on already possessed platform.

Unlike other self-owned brands, SAIC is doing forward research and development on the basis of technology acquisition. It is not a simple copy. The person in charge of the SAIC Technology Center once said that copying the product alone would not be enough, and customers would not choose. If SAIC only copies, then it is most convenient to learn Volkswagen, so why bother to buy Rover and Ssangyong? Positive R&D can be personalized, but digesting these technologies is a slow process.

Zhang Juehui, chief engineer of SAIC Motor Corporation and deputy director of Shanghai Automotive Technology Center, told a story that he encountered many problems in the development of the Roewe 750. If he heard noise in the back row, he could not find the problem. Later, it was discovered that there was a rubber-metal crucible on the rear axle. After researching it, it was found that it was in balance. Adjusting its weight, the sound disappeared.

Currently, SAIC Technology Center has 350, 550, MG6 Grade A, Roewe 750 Grade B cars, and W5 “cross-field professional SUVs” that have developed MG3 and A-class platforms on the A0 platform. After many years of learning and accumulation, SAIC Motor’s push of new products began to accelerate. Next year, the A-class platform will launch the MG5, A-grade will have a modified Roewe 550, and a new B-Class.

>> The powertrain is constantly enriched In the core power development, the research and development capabilities of Shanghai Automotive Powertrain are more mature, and the related engine and transmission products are also constantly enriched.

Shanghai Automotive has developed 1.3L to 2.5L, a total of 5 engines. Among them 2.0L-2.4L is about to adopt full direct injection pressurization technology. The project partner is German FEV engine company. The engine concept stage is based on FEV. The later design stage is completed by the powertrain R&D team of SAIC British Technology Center. Zhang Juehui said that Shanghai Automotive will also cooperate with GM to launch next-generation high-efficiency small-displacement series engines with independent intellectual property rights, covering compact, light-weight, in-cylinder direct injection and turbocharged series engines. Subsequent self-developed 1.0L, 1.2T, 1.4T, 1.5T, 1.8L to 2.0T engines are expected to be gradually put into operation from 2013. Large-displacement engines will use the world's leading direct injection pressurization technology from 2.0L to 2.4L. In 2013, all SAIC models will be equipped with turbocharged engines.

SAIC's self-developed dual-clutch automatic transmission plan will be put into operation next year. The Roewe 550 expected to replace it in June next year will carry the research and development results, with an oil-saving rate of 20%. During the "12th Five-Year Plan" period, SAIC's products will be jointly developed with General Motors. Shanghai Auto has its own proprietary intellectual property rights (DCT) dual clutch technology. SAIC Group Vice President and General Manager of SAIC Passenger Cars Chen Zhixin also personally acted as the head of the development team of the electric transfer project and the head of the development team of the automatic transmission.

>>Modeling Design Center of Asia's largest SAIC is currently the largest design center in Asia, and is a department that SAIC is proud of. Both Roewe and MG models have the same appearance. This design center has a very comprehensive functional division of virtual assessment room, physical assessment area, model production platform, and so on. It will complete the design of 18 models on the huge model production platform. The first floor, including the designer's working area, can also have 200 employees occupy a leading position in domestic design and design techniques.

The proud technology of this modeling center is the digital design process and the physical model production process. In this design center, engineers can do many models at the same time, and can complete the design process of the entire rendering, and can also complete the production of a small proportion of models and 11 models. After the digital design of the modeling, after a very rigorous review stage, and then a series of engineering feasibility analysis, supplier analysis, study different color processing solutions, and finally make the model will be very important for the gap, surface difference Review.

In this design center, products such as the Roewe 550 and MG6 have been successfully marketed.

The car dealership SAIC Passenger Vehicle was established in February 2006 and launched its own brand “Roewe” in that year. In 2007, it also incorporated the MG brand into SAIC's own brand system. Since its development, the Roewe brand already has four Roewe 350, 550, 750 and W5 products. The MG brand currently has four models of MG7, MG3, MG6 fastback and MG6Saloon. SAIC Motor sold more than 160,000 passenger vehicles last year and it is planned to achieve it by 2015. 700,000 sales.