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SAE International and Cadpo launched their first Shanghai Automotive CAD Certification course on December 9–13, 2004. Held at the Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) Group Training Center, it drew 20 certification candidates from SAIC companies and related manufacturers. The announcement described a credential built around automotive essentials plus one or more specialist CAD disciplines—not a general-purpose CAD certificate.
What was the Shanghai SAE–Cadpo course?
It was a five-day training course tied to SAE’s Automotive CAD Certification program. SAE owned and sponsored the certification framework; Cadpo, identified as CAD Potential, Inc., supplied training and engineering e-learning expertise; and the Shanghai Automotive Industry Training Center (SAITC), at the SAIC Group Training Center, provided the local setting and industry access. The 2004 announcement reported 20 candidates from SAIC companies and related manufacturers, including General Motors and Delphi, Shanghai Huizong Automotive Manufacturing Company, and Automotive Gear Manufacturing. SAE and Cadpo’s announcement
When and where did it take place?
The course ran December 9–13, 2004, at the SAIC Group Training Center in Shanghai, China. SAE’s announcement characterized it as the first CAD Certification course the organizations had launched in Shanghai.
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What did SAE Automotive CAD Professional certification cover?
The framework measured and developed automotive CAD skills. The Automotive CAD Professional credential combined the Automotive Essentials component with at least one of four specialist disciplines:
- Styling
- Interior Trim
- Structures
- Powertrain/Chassis
The announcement describes the required components but does not specify a CAD software platform, exam format, passing score, or credential-verification method.
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Is the SAE–Cadpo Shanghai course still available?
The documented Shanghai launch is from 2004, not a newly announced 2026 course. Its announcement said additional programs in China were planned during 2005, but that does not establish whether the course or credential pathway continued afterward or is available now. The cited release also gave contemporaneous organizational figures—nearly 85,000 SAE members and more than 60,000 SAIC employees—which should not be read as current totals.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How does it differ from Shanghai’s later CATIA certification center?
Shanghai University documented a Dassault Systèmes CATIA certification examination center in 2014. That is a separate, later certification pathway; the available description does not establish that it shared SAE’s credential owner, requirements, or automotive-discipline structure. Shanghai University’s 2014 reference also does not confirm the present availability of that examination.
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