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A new production plant – the result of the joint venture signed in January 2009 between Magneti Marelli and Shanghai Automobile Gear Works (SAGW) – was inaugurated in the industrial automotive district of Jiading, just outside Shanghai. As announced previously, the joint venture, known as SMMP (SAIC Magneti Marelli Powertrain Co. Ltd.), was created to produce hydraulic components for the Magneti Marelli Freechoice™ transmission (or AMT, Automated Manual Transmission).

 

Attending the inauguration ceremony were the President of Confindustria (the Italian industrial association) Emma Marcegaglia and Fiat Group Chairman John Elkann, in addition to Confindustria’s President for Small Industry, Vincenzo Boccia and top representatives of the two partners in the JV, Eugenio Razelli, CEO of Magneti Marelli and Chen Zhixin, Executive Vice-president of SAIC Motor and Chairman of SAGW, and the representative of the Jiading industrial area, Yu Jianghua.

 

The new plant will produce hydraulic components for approximately 300 thousand Magneti Marelli AMTs (Freechoice™) a year. With a surface area of 10,500 square meters, once operating at capacity the plant will employ about 450 workers and will be equipped with its own research & development centre.

 

These hydraulic components, which will be integrated into the electronic control unit of the Magneti Marelli system, are intended for Freechoice™ automated transmission applications in the Chinese automotive market.