The Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center Airbag Lab has opened in Shanghai as a 50-50 joint venture between General Motors and Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation.

According to the company's press statement, Henry Huang of PATAC says, "We chose the Microsys SureFire system as they offered the latest technology for airbag testing and had the highest level of applications knowledge in the industry. We have been very pleased with SureFire and the support we have received from Microsys in China."

This lab is reportedly one of the most advanced safety labs in China, and will be used for engineering development of Shanghai GM vehicles.

According to Frost & Sullivan, the passenger car passive safety systems market in China is in its growth stage. Increasing consumer concern over safety is one of the factors contributing to this growth. In China, side and curtain airbags have been mainly installed in high-end luxury executive cars since 2005. However, vehicle manufacturers are expected to increase the installation of these airbags across more vehicle segments. Frost & Sullivan expects demand for these airbags to increase rapidly until 2012. As China's largest R&D center, the new airbag lab positions PATAC to continue to it's leadership position in China.

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