NEW DELHI: General Motors (GM) and Tata Consultancy Services TCS ) on Monday announced a new partnership under which the IT major would support the leading automaker in future vehicle engineering across global markets.The new association builds on the 16-year long relationship between the two companies, the companies said in a joint statement.Under the agreement, TCS will acquire certain assets at the GM Technical Center – India (GMTC-I), in Bengaluru, and will partner with GM, supporting its global vehicle programmes with engineering design services over the next five years, it added.Over 1,300 employees of GMTC-I will transfer to TCS, including teams focused on propulsion systems, vehicle engineering, controls development, testing, creative design and special projects, the statement said."TCS has been an outstanding partner for 16 years. We are pleased to evolve our partnership even further, as we work to deliver on our commitment to create a world with zero crashes, zero emissions and zero congestion," GM vice president electrification, controls, software & electronics, Dan Nicholson said.TCS Global Head, Engineering and Industrial Services Practice Regu Ayyaswamy said the company welcomes GMTC-I's talented engineers into the TCS family, and encourage them to take advantage of the vast learning and growth opportunities available, and to realise their potential."Next generation automotive R&D is a key focus area for TCS, given the criticality of product innovation and connectedness in the Business 4.0™ world. This new partnership with General Motors is a testament to our willingness to invest in the relationship for the longer term," TCS Global Head, Manufacturing Business Group Susheel Vasudevan said.The transaction and handover are expected to be completed by the end of September.Established in 2004 in Bengaluru, GMTC-I contributes to GM's global programs, across propulsion systems, vehicle engineering, controls development, testing, creative design and special projects.It houses a design studio and an engineering center with state-of-the-art, in-house electronics hardware and software testing and validation infrastructure.