Reference News Network, December 19 report: According to the Russian "Kommersant" website, December 17 report, the new Mercedes-Benz car will be equipped with a Chinese engine, and Geely Company participated in the joint development. It is suitable for the new generation of CLA models. This engine will be mass-produced in the joint production base within China.
"Using Chinese parts is no longer a novelty," said Igor Morzalev, partner of the Russian automotive analysis institution Autostat, "the global automotive industry has become highly internationalized: in today's many European brand vehicles, 70% of the parts are produced in China, Thailand, and other places. A person from Volkswagen once told me that half of their parts came from China, and this was ten years ago."
In China, due to the large scale of production, the cost is much lower, while the quality is no less. Geely acquired Volvo in 2010 and launched many joint development projects.
In the 1970s and 1980s, Ford of the United States considered purchasing Honda engines to enhance the appeal of specific models. At that time, the company was managed by an heir of Henry Ford. He said, "I will never allow a Japanese engine to be installed on a car named after my grandfather's surname." But times have changed.
Previously, Mercedes had already installed engines developed in collaboration with other automobile manufacturers. However, as Evgeny Zabelin, founder of a company in Russia specializing in Chinese auto marketing, pointed out, Chinese manufacturers have become important forces in the engine field.
He stated, "The current largest automotive market is China, and it is an unavoidable necessity for European brands to enter the Chinese market. If you miss this market, you won't make money. At the same time, Chinese people's interest in buying traditional European cars has declined because, according to their standards, these cars have long been outdated. Therefore, European companies cooperate with Chinese brands to manufacture cars, precisely to target the Chinese audience. The Chinese are leading in various technical fields, not only in electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles, but also in traditional fuel vehicles. The production costs there are lower, the quality is better, and they can make more money because they can invest more funds into R&D."
There are already Chinese enterprises among the shareholders of the Mercedes-Benz Group. Geely Group holds about 10% of the shares of this automotive giant, and BAIC Group also holds shares of the group. (Translated by Tong Shiqun)
On July 10, workers transported automotive parts in a workshop of an aluminum products company in Chiping District, Linyi City, Shandong Province. (Xinhua News Agency)
Original text: toutiao.com/article/7585388312374919723/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author."