Fiat Powertrain Technologies plans to make its range of compact and highly efficient engines available to Chinese carmakers, and according to local media reports this week, is now locked in talks with several major domestic manufacturers. Following the recent completion of its state-of-the-art Shanghai R&D Centre, Fiat Powertrain Technologies (FPT) is pushing to become a major player in the engine and transmission sector in China.

"We will not only provide Chinese home grown automakers with small engines and but also help them to optimise product lines and upgrade technologies," Shen Hui, the President of FPT China, told the Jinghua newspaper. It is reported that Guangzhou Automobile Group and Zotye Automobile, both companies that already have connections to the Fiat Group are amongst the Chinese carmakers included in the talks, with several unidentified other firms also interested.

Fiat Powertrain Technologies SpA has invested 22 million euros to build its first Chinese research and development centre, in Shanghai. The wholly-owned Fiat Powertrain Technology Shanghai R&D Co Ltd, is located in the Jiading District in West Shanghai. The centre is set to focus on the development of engines, both gasoline and diesel, and transmissions for cars and commercial vehicles. FPT Shanghai, covers a total of 37,000 square meters, and employs 100 engineers.

The Shanghai centre is the first in Asia, a step ahead for the company to fulfil its target to serve local demands. "Developing anti-pollution engines would be one of the top priorities for FPT Shanghai as environmental protection is emphasised by the state government," commented Paolo Emanuele Ferrero, Vice President of FPT, Product Engineering, on the occasion of the foundation stone laying ceremony a year ago.