OREANDA-NEWS.   German auto parts group Continental has agreed to open its Chinese technical headquarter in the hi-tech district of Hefei, the capital of East China's Anhui province.

The research and development (R&D) center is expected to be completed and put into operation in 2014 at a cost of € 11 million, sources from the district said.

The move is believed to help make the district's auto parts industry more competitive and optimize the industrial layout.

The tire tycoon, which opened the first phase of the Hefei plant in 2011, will put its second phase into operation in late 2013.