US auto parts maker BorgWarner Inc said it has opened a production facility in Ningbo, China to meet growing demand in that country's automotive market.

The 194,000-square-foot plant -- BorgWarner's largest facility in China -- makes fan drives and water pumps and employs 260 people. The facility, which is heated and cooled using geothermal technology, is located at the company's Ningbo campus.

The facility also is designed as a "green building," and the geothermal technology that it uses will lower energy costs by 30 percent to 60 percent without emitting carbon dioxide.

The Auburn Hills, Michigan-based company, which makes engines and drivetrains, derives nearly two-thirds of its revenue outside North America.