DETROIT, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- Guangzhou Automobile Group (GAC) unveiled a research and development center in Detroit, the U.S. state of Michigan.

It is the third R&D center the Chinese automaker has established in the United States, the other two are located in Los Angles and Silicon Valley.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Yang Rongsheng, chief operating officer of GAC Detroit R&D Center, defined the mission of the center as to design and develop vehicle models for North American market as well as the global markets. "Though integrating talent and technical resources in North America, the center will help bring about advances of products development and technological innovation on the Chinese market."

Covering an area three times the combination of its R&D centers in LA and Silicon Valley, the Detroit center has so far recruited a staff of 30. Except eight persons from GAC headquarters in Guangzhou, China's Guangdong Province, the rest 22 are all local residents.

"By recruiting local top-notch talents, GAC has not only enhanced its strength and brand influence but also created employment and cooperation opportunities (for local residents and businesses)," Yu stressed.

Brian Connors, executive director of Michigan-China Innovation Center, opened his arms to welcome GAC's presence in the state of Michigan. "We gain a neighbor as well as a friend," Connors said.

There are now more than 300 Chinese enterprises operating in Michigan, bringing in to the U.S. state an investment of more than 4 billion dollars and supporting more than 6,000 jobs. Michigan ranks third among all U.S. states in terms of Chinese investments received.

GAC is also attracted to the excellent location, convenient communication and rich resources in the Greater Detroit area. On Monday, the Chinese automaker unveiled its electric vehicle concept SUV at the ongoing North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit. This is the fifth time the Chinese automaker attended the auto show.

North America constitutes an important part in GAC's global layout. The company preliminarily planned to start selling vehicles in North America market at the end of 2019, but has to delay the sale to 2020 due to force majeure. But the Chinese automaker has never waived in its determination of entering the North American market.

GAC now operates in 16 countries. It sold more than 535,000 cars globally in 2018, up 5.23 percent year on year.