Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi today visited the GM Powertrain Europe engineering center in Turin to get an in-depth insight into the latest diesel powertrain innovations. Dr. Karl-Thomas Neumann, Opel Group CEO and General Motors Executive Vice President & President Europe, and Pierpaolo Antonioli, CEO of GMPT-E, informed the Italian Prime Minister about the company’s strategies for further reducing fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. Part of the agenda was a visit of a climatic test-cell as well as the Hardware-in-the-Loop Laboratory, and participation in an All-Employee-Meeting.
GM Powertrain Europe is the only center of innovation and development for diesel engines and related electronic control of GM globally and designs propulsion systems for Opel, Chevrolet, GMC and Buick. From design to the study of virtual components or tests on the engine benches – everything takes place in the laboratories and test cells of GM Powertrain Europe in Turin.
Prime Minister Matteo Renzi additionally visited one highly dynamic test bench for testing emissions achieved through an investment of 60 million euro. He also met some young engineers for discussions.
With its state-of-the-art equipment, GM Powertrain Europe Turin represents a strategic asset for GM globally. In Europe, the engineering center provides Opel vehicles with premium diesel technology, like the 1.6 CDTI engine, the quietest diesel in its class that has earned the nickname ‘Whisper Diesel’. Diesel engines of the future which are designed in Turin all share common characteristics: high-tech solutions offering moderate fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.
“The Turin engineering center and the people working here play an important role in our product offensive. We will bring 27 new models and 17 new engines to the market by 2018. Diesel-powered cars account for more than half the market in Europe, and the engines we develop in Turin meet the highest customer expectations for durability, efficiency and performance”, said Dr. Karl-Thomas Neumann.
In ten years, GM Powertrain Europe has seen its workforce grow annually by 25 percent, making the center one of the most important employers in the region. To date, the company has approximately 650, highly qualified employees, with an average age of 35 years.
“GM Powertrain Europe has helped to create a generation of technicians and highly qualified managers with international potential. It also generates supply contracts to local companies and engineering services with a volume of more than 170 million euro every year. We are becoming a magnet for other companies that see in us a real opportunity for growth in the area”, Pierpaolo Antonioli said.
