International Business

GM Unit, Chinese Firm Form Joint Venture: General Motors Corp. said its Delphi Automotive Systems unit and Shanghai Mechanical & Electrical Industrial Investment Corp. will build automotive batteries in Shanghai, China. The joint venture will be named Shanghai Delco International Battery Co., and GM will own a majority stake in the company. Shanghai Delco is expected to produce 1 million maintenance-free batteries a year at a plant to be built in the Pudong area near Shanghai. The plant is scheduled to begin production in late 1997. The venture is expected to target as customers the proposed GM car assembly plant in Shanghai.