WASHINGTON - China's Changan Automobile Group announced Tuesday it will open a research and development (R&D) center in the US city of Detroit, becoming the first Chinese automaker to have a research base on US soil.

The Detroit center will specialize in automotive chassis technology, including performance development, computer-aided engineering and manufacturing process research, Changan chairman Xu Liuping said.

Chassis technology was one of the core and most difficult automotive technologies, which Changan sees as the key to the success if its future high-end auto projects.

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"The US R&D center will play an important role in improving our global product development system and in capturing global auto technology trends," Xu said.

Based in China's southwestern economic hub of Chongqing, Changan already have overseas R&D centers in Italy's Turin, Japan's Yokohama and Britain's Nottingham.

All three US auto giants -- Ford, General Motors and Chrysler, are headquarted in Detroit, while other global auto giants such as Toyota, Nissan and Hyundai have branches or technology centers in the city.

Changan's US R&D center is expected to generate more than 100 high-tech jobs for local communities within five years.