TRW to develop safety technology for Great Wall
TRW Automotive Holdings Corp. has signed an agreement with Great Wall Motor Co. to help the private Chinese automaker improve its active and passive safety technology.
The move will help Great Wall to meet increasingly strict safety standards in China, the automaker said in a statement.
Great Wall says the technology also will help it to gain access to the North American market, which has higher safety standards.
In an interview last April, Great Wall CEO Wang Fengying told Automotive News China that the company aims to enter the United States by 2015.
Since 2008, U.S.-based TRW has supplied a wide range of safety components to Great Wall, including airbag controllers and antilock brakes. It also has developed an electric power steering system for the Chinese company.
This year, Great Wall has signed partnerships with a number of international suppliers, including Autoliv Inc., Brose and Valeo S.A.
In the first eight months, the company sold 223,030 vehicles, up 38 percent year-on-year, according to J.D. Power. It already has started exporting SUVs and pickups to Italy and Australia as well as a large number of developing countries.
