Innovation & Technology

The name of the new company combines the strong market position, heritage and technological expertise in the automotive industry with the ambition to shape the mobility of the future with innovations. 

The great interest and consistently positive response from our customers, business partners and long-standing companions confirm that we are on the right track.

At the heart of our appearance at Auto Shanghai, one of the industry’s most important trade fairs, were our “in the market, for the market” approach and several innovative technologies specifically tailored to the needs of Chinese OEMs and the Chinese market. China is the world’s largest and fastest-growing automotive market, in which Automotive has been successfully active for more than 30 years.

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Asian OEMs are key players in the automotive industry, including some of the world’s largest manufacturers such as Toyota and Hyundai/Kia as well as the fastest-growing ones like BYD. In fiscal 2024, a significant share percent of our automotive sales came from China alone - an impressive figure. However, we still see significant opportunities for further growth here and in Asia in general, and we intend to expand our presence.

“To achieve our growth ambitions, we must capitalize on our strengths while actively addressing our challenges. Let me emphasize – we have strong assets. Asian customers hold our technology and expertise in high regard. We are known for our technical competence, and the dedication of our people is highly valued,” says Frédéric Quaranta.

To succeed in the Asian market, we need to adapt our approach to local requirements. With “China Empowerment” we have launched a true “local for local” strategy, guaranteeing fast and flexible cooperation with manufacturers in this respective market. At the same time, we are investing heavily in joint development and proof-of-concept projects with our customers to shape the future together. As an independent company, we have the unique opportunity to further enhance our agility and sharpen our strategic focus.

Read more about how Automotive is a strong partner for Chinese customers here

"The mark of 200 million sensors produced – and the major series orders – emphasize that Continental stands for high-tech engineering, pioneering spirit, and customized technology solutions for every application in the automotive market,” said Ismail Dagli, head of the Autonomous Mobility business area.

Continental Automotive has been producing long-range radar systems since 1999, when the first systems were installed in the Mercedes S-Class. A lot has happened since then, and the use of radar in vehicles has changed rapidly. Whereas in the past only one radar sensor was used for distance control in the front of a vehicle, today there are sometimes nine or more radar sensors in use: In addition to "classic" distance control, emergency braking, blind spot, lane departure warning, cross traffic warning, and parking assistance systems also require radar support, usually in intelligent fusion with other sensors such as camera, ultrasonic, and lidar systems. Radar systems are also crucial for highly automated or autonomous vehicles, which rely on precise and redundant 360-degree vehicle surroundings monitoring.

Continental is a leader in the development of highly efficient systems and offers a broad portfolio of high-performance radar systems tailored to a wide range of applications. Production starts are planned for 2026 and 2027, depending on the manufacturer.

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Imagine a future where Continental Automotive designs and verifies semiconductors on our own, ensuring a resilient supply chain and reducing geopolitical risks. This vision has become reality with the creation of the Advanced Electronics & Semiconductor Solutions (AESS) organization. Operating as a fabless semiconductor company, AESS will collaborate with international partners to design and verify semiconductors for crucial components inhouse.

Automotive’s strategic decision to invest in semiconductor technology highlights our company’s strong commitment to innovation and market leadership. The AESS unit will produce high-quality, efficient semiconductor solutions, securing long-term cost advantages, strengthening our technological leadership, and achieving greater independence.

By leveraging a lean setup and embedded functions from Central Functions, the AESS unit will steer a more resilient and competitive supply chain. This move not only benefits our current colleagues but also opens up new opportunities for the future.  

Anyone who has ever sat in front of an integrated display in a car of the latest generation, which fits seamlessly in a C or L shape across the entire width of the vehicle cockpit, will quickly realize that the production of such a “pillar-to-pillar display” is highly complex and places enormous demands on manufacturing quality. This is only possible with highly qualified employees and consistent standardization, automation, and digitization in production to create essential economic and technological synergies. We therefore rely on so-called megafactories for the production of its display solutions, digital clusters and head-up displays (HUD). The term "mega" describes not only the scope of the production technologies used, but also the size and quantity of the products to be produced.

The UX business area produces at a total of twelve locations worldwide, including the megafactories in Brandýs nad Labem (Czech Republic) and Timișoara (Romania). Both sites have been expanded over the years and are pioneers in digitally networked production technologies and Industry 4.0.

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“We’re actually thinking in two directions: firstly, about how we can expand Automotive’s technology portfolio by working closely with the business areas to help them find technologies for specific applications. Secondly, we analyze innovations and developments in the market and consider which of them might be meaningful additions to our portfolio and could enrich the mobility of the future,” explains Jürgen Bilo, adding: “We’ve successfully integrated a wide range of technologies and have a well stocked pipeline for future products.”

One example of this is the start-up Deep-Drive. It will enable Automotive to expand its product portfolio with integrated brake and drive systems in the future. Another example is our strategic collaboration with banbutsu. In conjunction with our eTravel.Companion, banbutsu transforms the vehicle into a personalized experiential space. In addition to using all the display channels, as well as light and sound, graphics can be projected onto the side windows. New business models are conceivable, such as use for advertising brand communication, personalization or the seamless integration of product and service offerings.

“Even though car manufacturers are increasing their vertical integration, especially in the areas of electric drives and software, the automotive industry will evolve into a connected ecosystem of tech partners, start-ups, automotive suppliers and OEMs. For automotive suppliers, this presents a wealth of opportunities to expand their business models – as co-pace, we’re making a key contribution to unlocking this potential at an early stage,” says Jürgen Bilo.

(Read the full article here)