Shanghai July 21 (Gasgoo.com) Shanghai Shenhua Nuoyu Medical Auto Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Brilliance Auto, signed an agreement with Austria's Dlouhy GmbH Fahrzeugbau on July 15 to set up a joint venture in Shanghai to expand the specialized vehicle business and modified vehicle business in China, Brilliance Auto announced recently.
As a special-purpose vehicle manufacturer, Shanghai Shenhua Nuoyu is mature enough to develop, design and manufacture the vehicles, but its market share and brand awareness still need to be greatly improved, Brilliance said.
Since its founding in 1869 as an ambulance manufacturer, Dlouhy has been well known in the ambulance industry in Europe and has been authorized to convert Mercedes-Benz vehicles for use as ambulances.
By establishing partnership with Dlouhy, Brilliance aims to take advantage of Mercedes-Benz's chassis technology to make advanced ambulances. The two parties will also cooperate in localizing high-end modified vehicles, modified auto parts and components as well as core technologies.
"China's special-purpose vehicle sales will break 1 million units this year, from which Brilliance expects to get a 20% market share through the joint efforts of Shanghai Shenhua Nuoyu and Dlouhy," Qi Yumin, Chairman of Brilliance Auto said.
At the end of 2009, official records from China's Automobile Technology and Research Center showed 826 registered manufacturers were producing special-purpose vehicles, and 200 new players had entered the market since the government issued the "Automobile Industry Development Policy" in 2004.
