The Automotive Industry Action Group, the trade association consisting of DaimlerChrysler, Ford, GM and major automotive suppliers, has opened a representative office in Shanghai and named Dr. Yilong Chen as its general director of Asia-Pacific affairs and chief representative in China.

AIAG member firms want to grow their businesses in China while Chinese automotive OEMs and suppliers want to improve their quality and expand their exports. The association hopes its Shanghai office will “bridge the gap in the Chinese supply chain via common standards and tools to improve quality, increase efficiency and competitiveness.”

As chief scientist and director of technology development and partnership of GM's China operations, Dr. Chen established and managed GM/Delphi-Tsinghua Technology Institute in Beijing and GM-Shanghai Jiaotong Powertrain Technology Institute in Shanghai. He initiated and managed technology collaborations with Chinese partners for GM and also launched and managed the GM China Science & Technology award program with the Chinese National Science Foundation.