It is a good thing for foreign car companies to “invade” the R&D center.

On October 21, Toyota announced the establishment of its wholly-owned R&D center in Changshu, Jiangsu. This is the sixth R&D center Toyota has set up globally, and it is also the largest investment company among multinational car companies. In recent years, as China has become the largest new car sales market in the world, mainstream foreign companies have also regarded the Chinese market as the most important part of their global strategic layout. They have increased investment in China, including the construction of wholly-owned R&D centers. It has also been summed up by the automotive industry as the deep development of foreign companies in China. According to a report recently published by Gasgoo.com, up to now, GM, Volkswagen, Toyota, and Mercedes-Benz have successively completed the construction of local R&D and design centers in China, and R&D centers such as Volvo and BMW have also been under planning. .

Recently, the vice president of the Toyota Automobile R&D Center responsible for technology research and development, in an interview with reporters, clearly defined the positioning of the wholly-owned R&D center and the main tasks of the joint venture's technology center. In the future, research and development of core technologies will be put into wholly owned R&D centers, and the integration of technological achievements and mass production will be put into the technology center of the joint venture company.

A variety of worries have been expressed regarding the full range of foreign investment "invasion" of automotive R&D centers. “What is the joint venture company's R&D center?

In response, the reporter interviewed Luo Lei, vice president of the China Automobile Dealers Association, and Zeng Zhiling, research director of JD POWER's automotive market in Asia Pacific. "Whether it is past or present, China's joint ventures will not be able to obtain the core technology of foreign capital," said Luo Lei.

“The establishment of a wholly-owned R&D center will have no impact on the joint venture technology center. The domestic R&D center has always played a role in the introduction and modification of products. It has been such a position for many years and will not change in the future.” Zeng Zhiling Pointed out.

Today's China has become the world's largest automobile production and sales country, but it is still in a weak position in mastering its core technologies. The joint venture's R&D strength in product technology is even more questionable. According to a research report from the Department of Industry and Economic Research of the Development Research Center of the State Council, the core components of domestic electric steering, brake systems, suspension systems, and engine control are still controlled by foreign parties, and some technologies still have to be introduced.

In addition, to the general concern of local car companies, the dual advantages of carrying technology and capital "airborne" to China's multinational car company R & D center, is working with local car companies to start a talent war without smoke. Recently, in a survey on how to treat multinational car companies investigating R&D centers in China for a person in the auto industry, nearly 60% of the respondents believe that multinational companies set up R&D centers in China to allow local car companies to There is a disadvantage in recruiting R&D talent. Only less than 10% of respondents believe that local auto companies can win in this talent battle.

“Competing talents is a good thing to me. Now China has not paid much attention to R&D talents, and the treatment is generally poor. Because everyone feels that core technologies have to be imported from abroad, there is no need to spend as much effort in the country. In order to engage in research and development, now through such talent competition, to some extent, it will improve the living environment of domestic talents and raise their level of treatment, so as to attract more people to invest in manufacturing technology research and development, and through learning become this aspect. Expertise," Zeng Zhiling said.

Luo Lei also holds the same view: The establishment of a foreign-funded research and development center is of great benefit to the training and reserve of domestic talents.

At the same time, people in the industry said that the entry into foreign companies' wholly-owned R&D centers could provide more opportunities for Chinese parts companies to participate in the early stages of multinational product R&D. However, Zeng Zhiling believes that the establishment of a foreign-invested R&D center does not mean that foreign companies will use China as their purchasing center, and that foreign-funded enterprises will have a global purchasing point. Therefore, it is still unknown whether Chinese parts and components companies can enter foreign-invested procurement systems. .