Automotive Electronics Revving Up India’s Car Industry

Even with the global economic downturn during the late 2008-2009, India’s automobile market, together with its supply chain, has been witnessing phenomenal rise, riding on the strength of the domestic market, availability of engineering talents, and established R&D centers. According to the “ISA - Frost & Sullivan 2009-11 India Semiconductor Market Update”, many global OEMs have set up their manufacturing facilities in the country, including BMW, Nissan and Volkswagen. Some companies such as Toyota, Ford, GM, and Hyundai even have scaled up their plants to be able to cater to some part of their global sales.

TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENTS
India is experiencing a change of attitude when it comes to car selection. There is an increasing transition from affordability towards safety, driving comfort and quality, according to the report. Indian consumers nowadays are demanding technologically advanced engine and control management systems, superior safety systems and high-end infotainment systems, such as onboard multimedia and telematics. These demands are not only present in high-end cars, but even in low-priced models.

One particular development addressing safety requirements is in a relatively new field in automotive domain—the “pro-active” safety concept called Advanced Driver Assistance Systems or ADAS, which encapsulate several technologies, including lane departure warning, adaptive cruise control, blind spot detection, active braking systems, night vision, adaptive cruise control and collision warning systems, based on camera and radar (“ADAS: Innovations for human safety”).

Another critical factor for the automotive electronics segment in India is the environmental regulations aimed at reducing emission levels, according to the ISA-F&S report. One development in this front is the hybrid electrical vehicle (HEV), which combines electric propulsion and a down-sized petrol engine, as well as systems to recharge the battery using energy normally wasted during braking. Not only do these vehicles reduce emission, they also offer significantly better fuel economy for their owners. Farnell’s Alistair Winning (“HV acceptance boosts automotive electronic content”) discusses India’s HEV infrastructure and highlights efforts from local companies and joint ventures with multinational car makers in developing hybrid cars, and how these developments are pushing power semiconductors into center stage.

These are just a few of the advancements under way in India’s automotive industry. While the country has a long way to go to become one of the global leaders in this segment, current developments and initiatives in the pipeline are fueling the growth of the country’s automotive electronics industry and creating new markets for semiconductor organizations.