ZF Friedrichshafen AG “ZF”) recently broke ground on a new technology development center in Guangzhou, the capital of Southern China's Guangdong province, marking the further improvement of ZF's China R&D deployment and the ability to serve local clients, the German auto parts said on March 23.

Design image of ZF Guangzhou technology center; photo credit: ZF

The first phase of the new Guangzhou development center will involve a total investment of around 700 million yuan $89.44 million) and will cover an area of about 10,000 square meters. It is planned to start operation in 2023.

Upon completion of the entire building works, the Guangzhou center will house over 1,000 staff members and be equipped with multiple advanced laboratories, software & hardware testing facilities, as well as a car test ground allowing high-speed, dynamic and autonomous driving tests. 

The new facility is ZF's fourth R&D center in China, and also the first center in southern China. Relying on the group’s strong technical strengths and outstanding talents in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the Guangzhou facility will focus on building up its core capabilities of software development, integrated mechanical and electrical design, and system integration, and offering local clients such technology solutions as active safety system, passive safety system, autonomous driving, and electric drive system.

The Guangzhou technology center is expected to help ZF further strengthen its R&D capability in the Chinese market and the advantage in offering system-level technology solutions.