Ambitious plans for parts supplier Delphi

In addition to production capacity expansion, Delphi also keeps investing into research and development in China.

The company started to shift its strategy from manufacturing in China to research and it already gained benefits from the strategy.

Delphi has three technology centers in China - two in Shanghai and one in Beijing - and has begun to gradually use research results from China its global businesses gradually, such as in new-energy cars.

"We have invested heavily in the research of new-energy cars in China and some of the new products developed here are used to support every market," said Yang Xiaoming, president of Delphi China.

Localization is one of the main strategies for Delphi and its management is also localized, Yang said.

"All of our factory chiefs are Chinese, although we still have many foreign experts," he said.

Showing the importance of the China market, Delphi recently moved the global headquarters of its electronic and electrical businesses to Shanghai.

Those are the largest among all its five business units with $8 billion of turnover worldwide, Abulaban said, adding that it accounts for 50 percent of the company's total revenues.

"China will be crucial to the development of the global auto industry," he said.

"If we cannot get success here, we will not be successful globally," he added.