General Motors announced that Mark D. LaBaere has been appointed President of the Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center (PATAC) in Shanghai, China. Effective immediately, the appointment places a General Motors veteran in charge of PATAC, a 50-50 joint venture between between GM and GM’s Chinese joint venture partner, SAIC.
“Mark’s extensive background in vehicle engineering as well as his knowledge of PATAC will enable us to continue expanding our automotive engineering and design operations in China,” said President of GM China Bob Socia.

Mark D. LaBaere
Mr. LaBaere holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Central Michigan University and a master’s degree in manufacturing management from GMI Engineering and Management Institute (now Kettering University). He joined General Motors in 1989 as a project engineer in Warren, Michigan, and has held engineering assignments in the U.S., Canada and Europe. He relocated to Shanghai in July 2011 as Body Exterior Director for PATAC and Chief Engineer of PATAC’s Liuzhou Branch.
Established in 1997, PATAC delivers automotive engineering services to Shanghai GM (the GM-SAIC joint venture) and SAIC-GM-Wuling (a joint venture between GM, SAIC, and Wuling). Whereas the latter partnerships were originally established for manufacturing purposes, PATAC was established to provide design, development, testing and validation of components and vehicles. The organization has been responsible for several market-specific projects, including the Chevrolet Sail and Buick GL8 luxury MPV; it has also collaborated with GM’s Global Design and Engineering organization on the development of the new Buick LaCrosse and other GM products for Shanghai GM.
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