Telematics Positions Continental as a Leader in Comprehensive Vehicle Safety

With the acquisition of Motorola’s Automotive Electronics Business being closed, the Automotive Systems Division of the worldwide leading automotive supplier Continental AG has unveiled the future vision and roadmap for its newly established Telematics business unit to profitably grow the business on a global scale. The business unit, located in Deer Park, Ill., U.S.A. will be lead by Kieran O’Sullivan, who has been appointed senior vice president, Telematics and member of the Continental Automotive Systems Management Board.

Continental Automotive Systems successfully worked with its customers to integrate active and passive safety technologies like Electronic Stability Control (ESC), driver assistance systems including Adaptive Cruise Control and airbags to global vehicle platforms to help prevent accidents and protect vehicle occupants should a crash occur. With the new telematics business Continental will enhance the active safety performance of vehicles through higher levels of collision avoidance capabilities, and also help increase the post crash safety and emergency assistance services available to vehicle occupants.

“Telematics will play an important role in our efforts to integrate embedded, in-vehicle wireless communication systems into our Active Passive Integration Approach (APIA), which focuses on creating cars that avoid crashes, prevent injuries and provide immediate assistance if a crash proves unavoidable,” said Dr. Karl-Thomas Neumann, president of Continental Automotive Systems and member of the Executive Board, Continental AG. “With comprehensive vehicle safety and traffic management becoming more and more critical aspects of global mobility, Continental added a key future element to its product offering. We see great potential by integrating Telematics into embedded car-to-car digital communication and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication.”

“Continental’s Telematics systems help to make cars safer and provide a “wireless life-line” to emergency assistance the critical seconds after a crash occurs. The systems also provide vehicle occupants with hands-free calling and other convenience, such as navigation and concierge services. With Continental Automotive Systems’ expertise in integrated car safety and electronics, we will be able to elevate automotive telematics to a totally new dimension by developing future vehicle safety systems. We will focus on the evolution of safer driving in an ever more mobile world,” said Kieran O’Sullivan, senior vice president Telematics and member of the Continental Automotive Systems Management Board. “I am excited by the opportunity and will work together with the teams in North America, Europe and Asia to grow the telematics market globally. We will work hand-in-hand with the automotive industry to help improve vehicle safety and speed the time-to-market of new in-vehicle experiences.”

Through the acquisition of Motorola’s Automotive Electronics business, Continental Automotive Systems is the industry leader in the design, development and global manufacturing of embedded telematics and hands-free communication systems using Bluetooth wireless technology. Continental’s telematics and hands-free systems are included in more than 12 million cars on the road today.

Continental Automotive Systems’ telematics strategy consists of four pillars:

1. Research and development activities will focus on how to link
telematics connectivity systems with other in-vehicle safety systems
like airbags, electronic brake and safety systems, sensors, radar/lidar
and cameras. The division’s advanced technologists also will continue
to explore how car-to-car and car-to-infrastructure communication
systems could one day help further reduce traffic crashes, road
congestion and save lives.

2. Telematics also stands for dedicating resources to embedding wireless
technologies into cars so vehicle occupants can, in a more convenient
manner, operate and “control” their portable devices using voice
recognition technology. Experts will continue tracking consumer
lifestyle and wireless technology trends so it can help automotive
customers manage the lifecycle of wireless technology and consumer
electronics inside the vehicle.

3. Continental Automotive Systems will continue working with its existing,
and potential future customers to develop next generation telematics
systems that could incorporate third generation cellular (3G),
Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Digital Video Broadcast (DVB-H), Mesh Networks and
Dedicated Short-Range Communications (DSRC) technologies. These
technologies open the door to a range of new telematics “experiences,”
such as wirelessly downloading digital music so it can be broadcast
through the audio system inside the vehicle or movies to rear-seat
entertainment systems.

4. Continental Automotive Systems will continue working with members of
the telematics value chain including cellular operators, telematics
service providers, strategic technology partners, governments and other
constituencies to explore how it could expand the telematics market in
North America and make e-call systems and services a reality in Europe
and Asia.

In North America, Continental’s telematics systems help immediately
route emergency assistance to the scene of accidents. Continental is
committed to continuing to explore how similar infrastructure could be
deployed in Europe and Asia, so its telematics systems can help save
lives in other regions of the world.

The Continental Corporation is a leading automotive supplier of brake systems, chassis components, vehicle electronics, tires and technical elastomers. In 2005 the corporation realized sales of EUR13.8 billion. At present it has a worldwide workforce of around 85,000.

As a worldwide leading technology partner to the automotive industry, the Automotive Systems Division of Continental AG integrates extensive know-how and uncompromising quality in the fields of driving safety, embedded telematics and hands-free communication systems, powertrain and comfort. In 2005 the Division achieved sales of approx. EUR5.2 billion with a workforce of more than 24,000. Continental Automotive Systems develops and produces electronic and hydraulic brake, stability and chassis control systems, electronic air suspension systems, sensors, engine management and transmission control systems, hybrid drives, cooling fan modules, body and security electronics and also is the industry leader of embedded telematics and communication systems in vehicles.

In 2006 Continental Automotive Systems celebrates altogether 100 years of successful automotive technologies. The slogan “Forward Thinking” points to the future and the mission to keep pushing for new dimensions in safe mobility and the joy of driving cars.