Surveys of the growing Chinese automobile market show that both consumers and manufacturers are demanding quieter and more comfortable vehicles, a trend that is gaining more momentum now that electric and hybrid vehicle sales achieve breakthrough growth. By eliminating the noise from combustion engines, electric vehicles create a much quieter environment, however, this also makes noise and vibration from other sources more noticeable, even to the point of causing annoyance. China has made impressive progress with NVH (Noise, Vibration and Harshness) testing in recent years, and CAERI is one of the key drivers of this successful development.
Headquartered in Chongqing, the China Automotive Engineering Research Institute (CAERI) is a publicly listed R&D center that numbers among the technology leaders of China’s automotive industry. Ever since it was founded in the 1960s, CAERI has focused on vehicle R&D, testing, and quality inspection: to date, the institute has developed more than 300 vehicle models, 30 engine types and 80 new materials or processes, as well as drafting over 300 national industry standards. CAERI’s State Key Laboratory of Vehicle NVH and Safety Center, established in 2010, is China's highest-level NVH research facility: activities here include testing, verification and development of solutions for vehicles, systems and components covering both software and hardware.