There are big changes afoot at GM’s Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center (PATAC), in Shanghai, China.
Dr. Tobias Sünner, current GM executive chief engineer of compact cars, will step in as President of PATAC on June 1, taking the reigns from Mark LaBaere, who will jump over to GM’s Global Product Development organization in the U.S.
Although it may not be as familiar to us as say, GM’s Technical Center in Warren, Michigan, the PATAC is born from the 50/50 joint venture between GM and SAIC. SAIC is a state-owned auto manufacturing company that GM paired with in 1997, as Chinese law requires in order to do business there. The facility is a regional home for engineering, design, development and testing.
PATAC offers full-scale vehicle and powertrain development and is credited with creating the Chevrolet Sail 3, Buick Excelle and Buick GL8 luxury MPV for Shanghai GM, as well as the Buick Riviera and Chevrolet FNR concepts.
China has been GM’s biggest market for the past five years, which means Sünner will soon hold a valuable spot in the company’s charge to further expand its market share in the country.
“Tobias brings to PATAC a strong background in automotive engineering, including new energy vehicles, in both Europe and North America,” said GM Executive Vice President and President of GM China, Matt Tsien. “His expertise will benefit our team of professionals as they carry out projects for GM and its joint ventures.”
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