Third-phase vehicle and engine plant of Shanghai GM (Shenyang) Norsom Motors, based in Shenyang, the capital of Liaoning province, formally started production on Monday.

The new factory, with an annual output of 300,000 cars and 450,000 engines, includes five new major international-standard workshops - body shop, paint shop, assembly workshop, powertrain mount workshop and stamping shop. Total investment in the Phase III project amounts to 7 billion yuan ($1.14 billion).

Shenyang's GM plant was founded in 2004. The annual output of the company, with the new factory, will rise to 500,000 cars and 450,000 engines, which will advance Shenyang's car production scale and accelerate the establishment of advanced equipment manufacturing base in the city.

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