A ceremony to mark the completion of the Valeo Wuhan Technical Center Phase 2 in Wuhan city was held on Oct 4, attended by senior executives of the French global automotive supplier and French Consul General in the city, Olivier Guyonvarch, officials said.
The center, located in Wuhan Economic & Technological Development Zone – widely known as the WHDZ -- is Valeo’s latest investment project based in the capital city of Hubei province.
Covering an area of 3,000 square meters, the center will focus on research and development of cutting-edge technology and is expected to host a 1,000-strong research team.
The expansion of the center will further promote Valeo's development of its hardware and software technologies for autonomous driving and intelligent networked vehicles.
These include ultrasonic sensors, cameras, front-facing cameras, radar, LIDAR remote sensing systems and smart cockpits.
The Valeo Group has a long history of development in Hubei province. It established its factories in Jingzhou and Wuhan in 1994 and 1995 respectively.
Company executives said the Valeo Wuhan Technical Center will become the base for technological innovation of the Valeo Group in the Chinese market and in the global market.
A spokesman said that as the world's leading manufacturer of driver assistance systems, Valeo has the most comprehensive portfolio of sensors in the automotive industry, including ultrasonic sensors, cameras, radar and 3D LiDAR systems.
He added that Valeo's SCALA is the world's first and only mass-produced body-level laser radar. The product was first mass-produced in 2017 and has now received an order worth about $550 million. More than 100,000 SCALA laser radars are currently available.
The company said that innovation is the core strategy that Valeo has consistently followed. Last year, it invested nearly 13 percent of its main engine plant sales in R&D, while 53 percent of its orders came from innovative products and technologies.
Proud executives and officials cut the ribbon. The Valeo Wuhan Technical Center Phase 2 has been completed and a ceremony to mark the occasion was held on Oct 4. [Photo/WeChat account of WHDZ]
