Tyre maker Continental to expand R&D arm in India.

Continental, an automotive supplier and tyre maker, plans to expand its R&D arm in India.

The German company with a turnover of €35 billion opened a new facility in Bengaluru, which has the capacity to add 1,000 engineers who work in areas such as advanced safety systems in vehicles.

Continental plans to invest €12.4 million in the new facility which is spread over 13,000 sq feet and is located in the Electronics City. The company does not give out India specific numbers but said it had added 150 new engineers in its India centre last year.

According to Frank Jourdan, President of the Chassis & Safety Division and a Board member of Continental, there is an increased usage of technology inside a vehicle which is spurring R&D in newer areas.

One of the reasons Continental has chosen to house its R&D arm in Bengaluru is due to the availability of talent.

'This talent is strategic to our growth - both globally and in Asia,' said Helmut Matschi, President of the Interior Division and a Board member of Continental. Officials said 70 per cent of the engineers will work in the embedded software segment, which goes into different kinds of automotive vehicles.


HBL