Beijing (Gasgoo)- On November 6, Dongfeng Motor Corporation (DFMC) announced the plan to establish an R&D institute for advancing the company’s transition to new energy vehicles and enhancing R&D efficiency.
Photo credit: Dongfeng Motor
This transformation results in a “1+n” R&D system, said DFMC. The “1” signifies the R&D institute, which, built upon the existing technical center of DFMC, has been restructured to form seven centers, including a technology planning center, advanced materials and advanced technology research center, software engineering research center, and styling design center, among others. Mr. Tan Minqiang will serve as the director of the R&D institute.
The R&D Institute will be responsible for technical planning and R&D for all passenger vehicles within the group. It will handle the development of general technologies such as styling, architecture, powertrain, intelligent software, advanced materials, and validation, while also establishing a technology reserve to manage and execute the entire process from technical production to implementation. Additionally, it will directly oversee product development for Dongfeng Motor Corporation Passenger Vehicle Company and Mengshi Automotive Technology Company.
On the other hand, the “n” represents the R&D capabilities of various business units, which, under the unified management of the R&D institute, will take on various specific development tasks.
The “1+n” R&D system seeks to integrate the technical foundations of the system, processes, standards, information systems, tools, and more through resource consolidation. This will enable unified planning and centralized development of technologies for passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles, and components, fostering resource sharing.
Under its three-year transformation and upgrading action plan, DFMC will continue to increase R&D investment, with an expected allocation of 50 billion yuan in the field of in-house developed new energy vehicle technology. The company plans to launch 18 new energy passenger vehicle models and introduce 22 basic commercial vehicle models. Moreover, DFMC will expedite the recruitment of leading industry talents. The styling center of the R&D institute is already under construction in Wuhan, Hubei Province, with a total investment of 520 million yuan and anticipated completion by 2025.