Dongfeng-Nissan Passenger Vehicle Co. opened a 500 million yuan ($76 million) r&d complex in the south China city of Guangzhou that houses a training center, engineering operations and car design studios.

 

Dongfeng-Nissan is a joint venture between Dongfeng Motor Corp. and Nissan Motor Corp.

 

The center opened last week will design cars and provide technical support for Venucia, a brand Dongfeng-Nissan created under the joint venture in 2012. The center will have a team of more than 50 people and can develop up to four clay models simultaneously, Dongfeng-Nissan said.

 

The facility also will provide technical support for Nissan and will be used to train managers, administrative and engineering staff, dealers and suppliers at the Nissan and Venucia brands.

 

In the first five months of this year, Dongfeng-Nissan delivered 500,900 vehicles under the two brands, rising 1.3 percent from the same period last year.