Continental bolsters production of airbag control units in India

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Continental bolsters production of airbag control units in India

Continental bolsters production of airbag control units in India

Industry News
Jan 10,19

Keeping in mind the growing airbag business in India, production will supply both local and export markets.

Continental bolsters production of airbag control units in India

Bengaluru, January 10, 2019: Continental has made a new addition in the form of an assembly line, to manufacture airbag control units (ACUs) at its central electronics plant in Bengaluru. This has been done while keeping its commitment to Vision Zero, a world with zero road crashes, zero fatalities, and zero injuries. Road safety is undergoing a transformation in India. The implementation of safety regulations and stringent crash test norms as well as increasing safety awareness among end users are driving this change. The country is witnessing an increase in the take rate of safety features in vehicles.

Dr. Bernhard Klumpp, Head, Continental Passive Safety & Sensorics business unit, remarked, “The adoption of safety technologies in India is on the rise. Two of the factors driving this are government-regulated safety norms and growing awareness among consumers. Vision Zero is ambitious, but we are guiding the world of mobility towards it with our cutting-edge safety technologies. Our localisation strategy ensures that our technologies are affordable on local markets, consequently achieving a fundamental level of safety.”

Prashanth Doreswamy, Market Head, Continental India and Managing Director, Continental Automotive India, said, “We are continuing to invest in India to support its growing market. With the increase in safety awareness and legislative norms in India, demand for safety technologies is at an all-time high. Continental is prepared to address this need. We are fully committed to making mobility safer in India, and to supporting OEMs in adopting technologies efficiently.”

Each version of Continental’s ACU is based on a modular safety platform called SPEED (Safety Platform for Efficient & Economical Design), which is scalable, flexible, and cost-optimised via modular building blocks. With its basic functions and integration option of additional safety functions, it is designed to meet all market requirements. The basic version supports basic passive safety functions and therefore is suited to rising demand for cost-effective safety features, such as front and side airbags and belt pretensioners, in emerging markets. Additional safety functions such as vehicle dynamics sensing, rollover detection and event data recording can be integrated within the modular concept.

Commenting on the development, Sukhdeep Sandhu, Head, Passive Safety & Sensorics business unit India expressed, “We are committed to the Indian market. Our state-of-the-art production line for ACUs began operation in 2016 at our central electronics plant in Bengaluru, long before legislation came into effect. Today we are working at full capacity, supplying our local market and exporting to Japan and Thailand. Adding the second production line will enhance our capacity significantly, which will help us to meet the increasing requirements of more OEMs in India.”

Implementing vehicle safety measures is getting much-needed attention in India, the fourth largest car market in the world. The Indian government has devised stringent crash test norms to reduce road fatalities. The Bharat New Vehicle Safety Assessment Program (BNVSAP) is a proposed new car assessment programme for India implemented by law, and intended to increase the safety of vehicle occupants. All new cars sold in India will be assigned star ratings based on their safety performance. Crucial safety features that support vehicle safety such as airbags, ABS, and seat belt reminders will be assessed, and crash tests will become mandatory. These safety features must be standard in new cars sold in India.