Bangkok--19 Aug--Weber Shandwick
Partnership is first joint powertrain development between GM and SAIC
Small-displacement engine targets heart of global market
New transmission features dual-clutch design
General Motors Co. and SAIC Motor Corp. Ltd. (SAIC Motor) are expanding their partnership to develop a new small-displacement gasoline engine family and an advanced transmission. The agreement, which was signed today in Shanghai by GM Vice Chairman of Global Product Operations Tom Stephens and SAIC President Chen Hong, represents a significant milestone that expands GM and SAIC’s relationship into powertrain development. It’s another key step in providing propulsion solutions to build the world’s best vehicles.
“The co-development of these new engines and transmissions builds on a strong history of innovation and collaboration between GM and SAIC Motor,” Stephens said. ”Together, we will continue to quickly provide our customers leading-edge technologies that improve vehicle fuel efficiency and deliver robust performance.”
The new small gasoline engine, which will be offered in displacements from 1.0 liters to 1.5 liters, hits right at the heart of the global vehicle market. Its compact, lightweight design combines direct injection and turbocharging, providing customers unparalleled fuel efficiency and performance. The engine will be used by GM and SAIC Motor in China and future vehicles worldwide, providing further fuel efficiency advances beyond traditional technologies.
Engineering and development of the new engine will be carried out jointly by GM and SAIC engineers in Detroit and at the Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center (PATAC), the automakers’ engineering and design joint venture in Shanghai.
The new front-wheel-drive transmission will incorporate the latest innovations for improving fuel economy and performance. The transmission alone will provide upward of 10 percent improvement in fuel economy over today’s conventional six-speed automatic transmissions. The co-developed transmission will feature dry, dual-clutch technology. It will provide shift comfort equal to a conventional fully automatic transmission, with superior quality, while reducing CO2 emissions.
When combined, these technologies can provide up to 20 percent improvement in emissions, compared to engines and automatic transmissions in production today in China.
"These development agreements open an exciting new chapter in the partnership between SAIC and GM," said Hu Maoyuan, Chairman of SAIC Motor. "Not only will they add critical green technologies to our next-generation vehicles, they will also build on the strong engineering capabilities forged as a part of GM and SAIC's corporate responsibility."
About General Motors:
General Motors, one of the world’s largest automakers, traces its roots to 1908. With its global headquarters in Detroit, Michigan, USA, GM employs 217,000 people in every major region of the world and does business in some 140 countries. GM and its strategic partners produce cars and trucks in 34 countries, and sell and service these vehicles through the following brands: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, FAW, GMC, GM Daewoo, Holden, Opel, Vauxhall and Wuling. More information on the new General Motors can be found at www.gm.com or www.gmthailand.com
For further information, please visit www.gmthailand.com and www.chevroletthailand.com or contact:
Paphada Tuanghirunvimon / Satapana Karnjanaprakorn
Weber Shandwick
McCann Worldgroup (Thailand) Ltd.
Tel: 0-2343-6057 or 0-81621-2404
Email:
[email protected] /
[email protected]
or
Sasinan Allmand
Public Relations Director
General Motors (Thailand) Limited & Chevrolet Sales (Thailand) Limited
Tel: 0-2791-3400. Fax: 0-2937-0441
Email:
[email protected]