Japanese open design and testing centres in Europe
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• Mitsubishi is to open an trim and body design for all engine test centre and laboratory near Frankfurt, West Germany. The new centre will test prototype and pre-production vehicles destined for European markets and will also help with acquisition of type approval for models intended for European markets.
It will go into operation late this year, and will be the third such centre outside Japan, the others being locatd at Michigan and California, USA.
111 Nissan has also opened a design office, temporarily based at the UK factory in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear. The new offices will employ a staff of 50, rising to around 200 in a couple of years.
The office will provide the European (including Motor Iberica) — manufactured vehicles, and have a say in the design of Japanese-produced vehicles that are destined for European markets.
The intention, although not necessarily the practice, is to have Japanese, American and European model development continuing around similar floor pans, with different body panels.
The new global technical information network should ensure that the three different centres are able to exchange information, and gain access to facts on vehicle crash performance, combustion phenomena and structures, which will help them in their aim.