Indian Idol

Continental’s new demo car is packed with ideas & innovation

Their focus has been consistent: safety,environment,information and affordable cars. At Continental AG’s stall at the ongoing Auto Expo 2010,it’s all about providing products and solutions customised for the Indian market. While this international automotive supplier’s display includes advanced technologies for chassis and safety,powertrain,interior and ContiTech,it’s their brand new demo car called ‘Idol’ which is the star attraction. Packed with ideas and products aimed at the emerging markets,Idol demonstrates strong system integration competence and the growth for local production and R&D footprint in India. An out and out Indian car,Idol is powered by 1.5 ltr 3 cylinder turbo charged direct injection gasoline engine and 12KW mild hybrid drivetrain. “We,at Continental believe a reduction of CO2 emissions by up to 15 per cent while increasing engine power by up to 14 per cent,” says Claude d’Gamarose,the new Managing Director Continental Automotive India. To enhance functionality of the vehicle,Idol is equipped with new instrument cluster with features for an optimised Human-Machine Interface (HMI) by touch screen and voice recognition along with entertainment systems including MP3,DVD Video,integrated navigation and a Bluetooth interface for mobile phones. Electronic Stability Control (ESC) ensures the stability and controllability of the vehicle in all driving situations. “With ContiGuard on board,Idol demonstrates an integrated active and passive safety system which represents the next level of driving safety technology,” he adds. As for the tires,they combine safety performance,especially in stopping power,with low rolling resistance values.

“We aim to make intelligent mobility affordable and localise the entire value chain from local R&D to local engineering,purchasing and manufacturing. Our new electronic manufacturing facility in Bangalore meets the Indian automotive industry demands and we are also constantly expanding our R&D base in our new Technical Center in Bangalore,” says Claude d’Gamarose. According to Jay K. Kunkel,President Asia and Member of the Automotive Management Board of Continental AG,“Industry experts are expecting a strong growth in the low-cost vehicle segment in the coming decade,particularly in the emerging markets of Asia. As per automotive market research,from 2012 onwards nearly one out of two cars worldwide is expected to be manufactured in Asia; furthermore,much of the growth in Asian auto market is anticipated to come from India,which is expected by industry experts to be the 7th largest automotive market by 2016.”