REGIONAL> Highlights
BorgWarner begins plant construction in Dalian
By Zhe Chengpei and Zhang Xiaomin (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-05-21 16:06

DALIAN: BorgWarner Inc started building a $200-million plant on Wednesday to produce dual clutch transmission (DCT) modules, with operation scheduled to begin in 2011.

Known as BorgWarner United Transmission Systems Co Ltd, the plant will cover an area of 83,000 sq m in the developing zone of Dalian, northeastern China’s Liaoning province. Annual sales revenue is expected to reach $2 billion by 2015.

Products coming out of the Dalian factory will bring the benefits of DualTronic technology to the growing automatic transmission market in China, Bernd Matthes, president of BorgWarner Transmission Systems, said at the ground-breaking ceremony.

Matthes said BorgWarner will introduce the new generation DualTronic technology into China and make China a market that will launch new BorgWarner products.

A Fortune 500 company, US-based BorgWarner is a leading provider of powertrain and transmission modules for the automotive industry. Its DCT system is recognized as the most advanced automatic transmission technology.

“BorgWarner’s presence will promote the growth of the city’s automotive and parts manufacturing sector,” said Xia Deren, party secretary of Dalian Municipal Party Committee.

“It will even help upgrade the overall technological level of China’s automotive industry,” said Xia.

The factory, of which BorgWarner holds a 66 percent stake, is a joint venture with China Automobile Development United Investment Co, a company owned by 12 leading Chinese automakers such as FAW, SAIC, and Dongfeng.

Besides the new factory, BorgWarner has set up factories and offices in Beijing, Shanghai, and Ningbo since it entered the Chinese market in 1993.

China Daily Dalian Bureau