General Motors announced that it has begun work on a new Performance and Racing Center in Pontiac, Michigan.
The new facility will focus on race-engine design and development, and will also include an electric motor laboratory and gear center. The focus will be on engineering work for General Motors Company's [NYSE:GM] racing programs, which could eventually trickle down to production cars.
The move puts GM's race-engineering resources in close proximity to the company's Powertrain Engineering headquarters. Centralizing more resources in one large facility will help "advance technical sharing between racing and production-engine programs," GM's chief of performance vehicles and motorsports Jim Campbell said in a statement.
GM Performance and Racing Center rendering
In addition, the electric motor lab will produce prototype motors for GM's upcoming electric cars and hybrids, as well as validate manufacturing processes for them. As the name implies, the gear center will support design and testing of gears for future transmission applications.
About 100 engineers and technicians from GM's old racing center in Wixom, Michigan, will relocate to the new site beginning in mid-2015. GM expects to add about 400 jobs once the move is complete.
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