The site will employ around 500 engineers and designers.

In total, about 865 million RMB (€112m) has been invested into the Beijing-based R&D facilities for Mercedes-Benz passenger cars most recently, with about 105 million RMB (€13.5m) into this new site alone.

‘For the automotive industry, China has become the most important market worldwide. The country is truly in fast forward mode – we recognise this importance and reflect it in our local R&D activities, which we are clearly pushing forward to the next level,’ said Hubertus Troska, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG responsible for China. ‘As a key element for our sustainable growth strategy in China, our new R&D Centre will help us to fully tap our potential here and give our Chinese customers’ voice even more weight in our global network and future product development.’

‘With our new R&D Centre in China, we are progressing our strategy of the internationalisation of our R&D, showing our full commitment and dedication to China, a key market for us,’ said Prof Dr. Thomas Weber, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG, responsible for Group Research and Mercedes-Benz Cars Development.

‘Establishing a close-knit and complementary network of R&D Centres across the globe will enable us to incorporate local taste, needs and trends into our products much faster, supporting our vision to become the world’s largest premium car manufacturer by the end of the decade.’