Great Wall Motors and U.S. TRW Upgrade Safety Equipment

On September 22, Great Wall Motor Co., Ltd. signed a strategic cooperation agreement with the world’s leading automotive safety system supplier, the United States Tianhe Group. According to the agreement, the two parties will upgrade to the cooperative research and development of the main and passive safety technologies based on the existing procurement of products such as airbag controllers and anti-lock braking systems.

“The new C-NCAP regulation to be implemented next year puts forward higher requirements for vehicle collisions. Cooperation with TRW can promote the technical upgrading of the Great Wall’s main and passive safety.” Wei Jianjun, chairman of Great Wall Motors, said that Haval SUV Category meets European and American market demand. However, the North American market has higher standards for safety collisions and vehicle emissions. Cooperation with local companies in the United States can help the Great Wall clarify related policies, improve vehicle safety, and enter the North American market as soon as possible.

It is reported that the cooperation between Great Wall Motors and Tianhe Company began in 2008. Initially, Tianhe provided the air conditioning air outlet for the Great Wall Lingao [Review Photo Forum]. Since 2009, Tianhe has equipped airbag controllers and rear brake calipers with safety products such as the Haval SUV and the Tengyi C30 [Review Picture Forum]. Among them, the airbag controller applied to Haval SUV is an innovative product developed by Tianhe for customers in the Chinese market. Compared with traditional controllers, it can shorten the time delay of collision response and improve occupant safety.

At present, the electric steering system jointly developed by Great Wall and Tianhe is more fuel-efficient. Compared to hydraulic boosters, electric boosts are more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly and easier to control. Moreover, both parties have also entered the sample development stage in the development of engine valves and rear brake calipers.

Peter Lake, executive vice president of TRW, said, “The TRW Group, as the leader in the global automotive safety system, always adheres to the balanced development of active and passive technologies. The Chinese market is a strategic focus of TRW. Although Great Wall Motor is not a company in China The largest customer, but Great Wall's focus on improving quality is in line with Tianhe's corporate philosophy. We hope both parties will continue to maintain a good partnership."

In recent years, Great Wall Motors has launched a "people-oriented" safety concept. Both active and passive safety have been taken into account. At the same time, vehicle security, vehicle insurance, and other vehicle safety have also been taken into account. In terms of passive safety, Great Wall uses the development technology of “3DP (Comprehensive protection of occupants, pedestrians, and vehicles)”. In terms of vehicle safety, Great Wall promotes the concept of synchronized vehicle safety performance development and product development.

In the early days, Great Wall has entered into strategic cooperation with Autoliv, Sweden, the world’s largest producer of car occupant protection systems. Cooperation with U.S. SkyTeam and Autoliv, Sweden, means that Great Wall Motor will make great strides in vehicle safety. This is in line with the “three-high strategy” that Great Wall Motor established at the beginning of the year and supported high-tech equipment and high-performance design to create high-quality products.