Continental sets up R&D, manufacturing base in India

Mumbai: German automotive parts supplier Continental AG has invested Rs220 crore ($51 million) to set up an electronic parts manufacturing unit and an R&D center in Electronic City near Bangalore.

Continental plans to develop and manufacture electronic components for chassis and safety applications as well as for power train and interior, the company said in a release.

Located in the Bommasandra industrial area on the outskirts of the city, the  high-tech facility will manufacture dashboard instrument clusters for passenger cars, commercial vehicles and two-wheelers, immobiliser systems, motor management systems for diesel and gasoline engines, power steering controllers and comfort electronics components.

''The booming Indian automotive market has become strategically important for us to deepen our business in the sub-continent. The projected annual growth rate of 15 per cent is a huge opportunity to leverage our expertise in vehicle technology and supply affordable components and systems to Indian and multinational OEMs (original equipment manufacturers),'' Continental Asian president Jay Kunkel said.

Continental has been exporting a range of electronic components from its plants at Hanover, Germany and Shanghai, China to Indian OEMs. It has also been supplying mechanical clusters, sensors and belts from its manufacturing facilities at Manesar, Gurgaon and Sonepat in Haryana, Pune in Maharashtra and Kolkata in West Bengal.