China's Foreign brand design centers

As China carries more weight in the global auto market, foreign carmakers have opened new R&D facilities in the country to better respond to local customer needs. Moves earlier this year include:

Nissan Motor Corp opened a design center in Beijing in March this year, the carmaker's third such facility outside Japan. It will help in design work on global models for Nissan and its luxury unit Infiniti.

Daimler AG inaugurated its fifth Mercedes-Benz Global Advanced Design Center in Beijing in July this year. The new facility will cooperate with other facilities in Germany, Italy, Japan and the US to offer solutions for future Mercedes-Benz cars.