Gasgoo.com (Shanghai December 25) - Second-phase construction on General Motors' Chinese technology research and development center is scheduled to begin in early 2012 and be completed by the end of the year, the Nanfang Daily reported this weekend. GM's R&D center is the most comprehensive one in Chinato date.

The R&D center, located near GM's Chinese headquarters, will concentrate on the issues of prospective design, automobile engineering, technology assembly, measures to fight traffic congestion and vehicle production.

The center's materials laboratory will be expanded during the second construction phase. The first construction phase, which was completed this September, helped increase the center's capability to research battery technology and weight lightening materials. GM's battery research facilities in the country are already in use, with all relevant testing work already finished. GM uses these facilities to test different batteries from various domestic suppliers. Following domestic testing, further inspection will be carried by GM's quality assurance personnel.

Upon completion, the center will posses 62 testing labs and nine experimentation labs, and will employ over 300 engineers, designers, researchers and other workers.

Kevin E. Wale, president and general manager of GM China, said that the new center would help ensure that GM's technology remained state of the art. The center will help provide new data and technology for the manufacturer's operations both in China and abroad.