Magna held two grand opening ceremonies last month in China, for new factories in Changsha and Shanghai.
The new plant in Changsha, a joint venture with GAC subsidiary GAC Component Co., Ltd. (GAC Component), began production of composite liftgates for a global automaker’s crossover vehicle in late 2018.
Last month, Magna’s plant in Shanghai started production on active aerodynamic grille shutters for an American brand producing multiple vehicle platforms for the China market.
“These facilities represent growing product segments for us: lightweight, composite liftgates and active aerodynamics,” said Magna Exteriors President Grahame Burrow.
“Lightweight composites and active aerodynamics help our customers achieve lower CO2 emissions and improved fuel economy.”
Demand for lightweight, fully recyclable, composite liftgates is strong as the market for crossover and sport utility vehicles continues to grow globally.
The liftgate modules achieve up to 25 percent mass savings over steel versions, leading to better fuel economy and lower emissions. Composite materials also allow for greater design flexibility with deeper draws and tighter radii.
Additional benefits of Magna’s full-system assembly and delivery approach include reduced complexity of the total liftgate module, lower tooling investment and operating efficiency improvement in the automaker’s assembly plant.
Active aerodynamic components further address fuel efficiency and emissions needs by reducing vehicle drag.
Magna’s active aerodynamic expertise has grown significantly in recent years with more than 10 million active grille shutter systems on the road.
Additional product innovations include active underbodies, active wheel deflectors and active rear diffusers, which can be applied across all vehicles from small cars to commercial trucks.
Magna has 55 manufacturing facilities and 13 engineering centres in China with more than 22,000 employees.
