China Automotive Technology & Research Center (CATARC)
31. October 2023The China Automotive Technology & Research Center, CATARC for short, was founded in 1985 and has been under state administration ever since. CATARC is a wide-ranging group of companies with great influence on the domestic and foreign automotive industry. The restructuring of the group was successfully completed in February 2018. CATARC currently consists of six directly affiliated institutions, 34 wholly owned subsidiaries and nine holding companies with total corporate assets equivalent to approximately US$2.57 billion and employs 4,585 people.
CATARC is guided by the new development concept of continuously expanding its business activities and enhancing its comprehensive competence and competitiveness. The corporate network with four branches in East China, South China, Central China and Southwest China is optimised according to the principle of “one headquarters + four sub-centres”. Furthermore, CATARC has established subsidiaries and permanent offices in Germany and Japan, and played a leading role in establishing China’s first foreign specialised agency in the field of standardisation in Switzerland, the China Automotive Standards International Center in Geneva. This helped to better integrate the Chinese automotive industry globally and the Swiss branch has since played an important role within the promotion and development of China’s automotive industry.
Product testing for automotive products for the Chinese market
CATARC has always adhered to its original intention of promoting scientific and technological progress in the Chinese automotive industry. To this end, it operates according to the company motto: “Independence, Impartiality and Reliable Third Party”. It has built up considerable technical expertise and created a network of services for the industry. These include product testing and certification for the automotive industry, as well as mutual and pioneering technologies that cover the entire automotive industry chain and the entire life cycle of technical services with research and development at their core. CATARC operates 10 main business lines, including testing and inspection, technical R&D services, digitalisation, technical design, consulting services, certification and strategic business orientation, with the aim of supporting the development of China’s automotive industry.
CATARC supports numerous car manufacturers and automotive suppliers with their product tests needed for the Chinese market.
