The business scope of the JV will be to produce automotive lighting systems (headlamps and rear lamps) based on halogen, xenon and high-end LED technologies. The plant will be set up within the first quarter of 2016, while the production is expected to start in the first quarter of 2017. Built over a  land area of  48,000 square meters, the plant with a total surface of 23,300 square meters will employ a workforce of about 800 employees at his peak volume.

"The new JV with Fudi aimed to be set in the northern part of the country - stated Ermanno Ferrari, CEO of Automotive Lighting - allows Automotive Lighting to have the "ideal" footprint in a key country for automotive like China, covering all the strategic areas in which the most important carmakers are located with their facilities. In fact our objective is being logistically and technically near them, in order to support their business growth in the best way possible."

Sylvain Dubois, Country Manager of Magneti Marelli China, said: "This new factory in Changchun represents our fourth Lighting plant in the country and  marks an important milestone in the expansion of Automotive Lighting in China. This will allow us to support in a better way our strategic customers located in this region".

Magneti Marelli Automotive Lighting presence in the Chinese market started in 2005 with the opening of the first 100% owned plant in Wuhu. In order to follow the Chinese automotive market growth, two more plants were inaugurated: in February 2012 the second wholly-owned plant in  Foshan (South China), and in May 2013 the new plant in Xiaogan resulting from the JV with China South Industries. Moreover, Automotive Lighting Headquarters and Research Centre in China are based in Shanghai.
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