German supplier Eberspaecher and Shaanxi Wanfang Autoparts Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Shaanxi Automobile Group Co., Ltd. headquartered in Xi’an, Shanxi Province, China, have signed a joint venture agreement to produce commercial aftertreatment systems for the Chinese market. No financial details were provided.
Shaanxi Wanfang Autoparts is the major shareholder with 51% of Eberspaecher Exhaust Technology Xi’an Co., Ltd., with Eberspaecher holding the remaining 49%. The new company will supply to Shaanxi Automobile Group Co., Ltd., one of China’s largest commercial vehicle manufacturers, with exhaust aftertreatment systems for China 4 emissions standards and beyond.
“The joint venture provides Eberspaecher with excellent opportunities to become further established in the growing Chinese market,” said Dr. Thomas Waldhier, chief operating officer, Exhaust Technology at Eberspaecher. The founding of the joint venture is a new strategic direction which will also strengthen the company’s worldwide positioning in the commercial vehicle sector further, including buses and coaches.
Production is scheduled to being in 2014 and reach an initial volume of about 100,000 exhaust systems for diesel and CNG engines per year in 2015. In addition to production, the planned scope of services also includes sales, aftersales service and system integration.