SAIC to build new alternative-powertrain base in China

Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp. (SAIC) has signed an agreement with the municipal government of Tangshan in Hebei province to build a new alternative-powertrain base there, reports Xinhua’s China Economic Information Service. As part of the agreement, SAIC will develop buses at the new Caofedian facility that will run on electricity, gasoline-hybrid, and traditional fuels, destined for local buyers as well as those in other northern Chinese regions. The Tangshan government sees the project as a key step towards developing alternative-fuel vehicles in the country, and it will also promote other projects that deal with the generation of wind and photovoltaic solar power, along with fuel-cell-based vehicles. (November 26, 2009)