Dassault Systèmes PLM Supports Guangzhou Automobile Group to Produce First Own-brand Car

SHANGHAI, China, June 10, 2010 — Dassault Systèmes (DS) (Euronext Paris: #13065, DSY.PA), a world leader in 3D and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solutions, announced today that Guangzhou Automobile Group Co., Ltd. (GAC)’s Automotive Engineering Institute (GAEI) has adopted their PLM solutions as its core technical platform to speed up the development of Guangzhou’s own-brand cars.

As GAC’s R&D center, GAEI is the key driver of GAC’s innovations and dedicated to the development of GAC’s own-brand cars. While GAC is not the first Chinese automaker to produce an independent brand of car, it nevertheless aspires to stand out from local cars by speeding up R&D, improving efficiency and enhancing competitiveness.

The institute actively looked for a highly integrated PLM platform and finally picked Dassault Systèmes’ PLM solutions as its core product R&D platform due to years of cooperation with Dassault Systèmes, industry surveys and thorough evaluation.

GAEI has adopted Dassault Systèmes’ CATIA V5 and ENOVIA V6 solutions. GAEI leverages CATIA to enhance the efficiency of design, development, and whole-vehicle verification. With the advanced Digital Mock Up function, CATIA can promptly uncover existing process problems, reduce error-induced cost and time wasting, improve design efficiency, and accelerate product-to-market.

ENOVIA V6 helps GAEI to manage internal workflow, its engineering BOM, model data, and changes within projects. The integrated platform ensures the accuracy of all data and facilitates data sharing throughout the whole process – from R&D to manufacturing, greatly improving collaborative efficiency.

Trumpche, GAC’s first own-brand car developed using Dassault Systèmes’ PLM solutions, has won the Best New Car Award from this year’s Beijing Auto Show, and been named as the official reception car for the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou. The first batch will roll off the production line in October 2010, adding a new, exciting chapter to the GAC story.

Chen Shanghua, vice president of GAEI, said, “We are convinced that establishing an efficient collaborative platform is crucial for enterprises to strengthen competitiveness and rapidly seize opportunities. With Dassault Systèmes’ PLM platform and vast experience in the automotive industry, GAC will be able to expedite the development of independent innovations. In the meantime, the high efficiency brought by the 3D virtual design and collaborative platform will also help GAC achieve its sustainable development vision.”

Zhao Heng, vice president, Greater China Value Channel, Dassault Systèmes, said, “DS is honored to become GAC’s partner in its drive to build an independent brand. Drawing upon more than 20 years of experience and best practices in the automotive industry, we will strive to help GAC to create more high-quality models that meet market demand, and work together to build another renowned Chinese auto brand.”