German auto supplier ZF opens R&D center in China

GUANGZHOU, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- German auto supplier ZF Group has opened a new R&D center in Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province, where it also kicked start construction of an auto electronics plant.

The Guangzhou tech center is the company's fourth R&D center in China and the first in south China. It focuses on areas such as software development, mechatronic design, and system integration, ZF said at a launch ceremony on Tuesday.

Scheduled for mass production in 2025, the Guangzhou plant is ZF's second automotive electronics factory in China, whose products will include advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), safety electronics, and chassis controllers.

"We will continue to innovate and invest in China, which leads the world in cutting-edge and iterating technologies," said Stephan von Schuckmann, member of the board of management of ZF Group.

Guangzhou is located in the Pearl River Delta region, which boasts strong technological and manufacturing prowess and is one of the largest automotive clusters in China.

ZF CEO Holger Klein previously said the company's R&D activities in China are becoming increasingly important as the company needs localization to gain speed in this market, which he described as a very "innovation-loving and giving market."