Siemens 2006 Annual Report Download - page 55

Business Areas
Transportation 55
Siemens VDO Automotive (SV)
As the world’s population burgeons, new
markets are emerging in developing and
threshold countries. Urbanization is inten-
sifying. Natural resources – fossil fuels in
particular – are in ever-shorter supply.
Environmental awareness is increasing
worldwide.
All these trends are having a major
impact on the movement of people and
goods. To meet and master the challenges
they pose, we develop and build intelli-
gent products and systems for cars and
commercial vehicles that facilitate per-
sonal mobility and make the transport
of goods more economical and efficient.
Innovative automotive electronics and
mechatronics are our specialties. Some
90 percent of the innovations installed
in automobiles today are based on elec-
tronics and software – a development
that has given us a leading position in one
of the most promising areas of the auto-
mobile industry.
Our product portfolio includes cutting-
edge vehicle drive and engine control
technologies. The piezo direct injection
system that we’ve developed for gasoline
and diesel engines cuts emissions and
fuel consumption while enhancing vehicle
performance. We’re also an innovator in
the field of vehicle safety. As traffic vol-
umes increase – particularly in large cities
– and as the number of older motorists
swells, driver assistance technology,
including night vision systems and lane-
changing and parking assistants, is
becoming more and more essential. Our
pro.pilot solution, which combines a wide
range of systems to create a complete
driver assistance network, is making acci-
dent-free driving a real possibility. With
our automobile information and commu-
nication systems, which link vehicles to
the outside world, we’re turning our
vision of a fully networked automobile
into reality.
In the commercial vehicle sector, we
develop intelligent software and hard-
ware solutions for onboard information
and electronics systems – everything
from digital tachographs and telematics
equipment to navigation aids and road
toll monitoring systems. Without our
technologies, advanced, economical fleet
management would not be possible.
www.siemensvdo.com
Highlights in fiscal 2006
• We were awarded the prestigious German
Future Prize by President Horst Köhler for
our innovative piezo direct injection system.
• Together with Korea’s Hyundai Motor Com-
pany, we acquired a 56 percent stake in
Hyundai Autonet Corporation – a company
formed by the merger of leading Korean
electronics suppliers Autonet Ltd. and Bon-
tec Co. Ltd. This investment is strengthening
our position as a local supplier to Asian
markets.
Our technology is shaping the
future of automobile travel. As a
trusted partner to the car indus-
try, we develop and produce
electronic and mechatronic sys-
tems and components for power-
train and engine control systems,
chassis electronics and safety
and driver assistance systems as
well as information, communica-
tions and multimedia systems.
Our products are making auto-
mobiles safer, more comfortable,
more economical and more eco-
friendly.
SV is the leading maker of airbag
electronics. What are you doing to
make automobile accidents a thing
of the past?
Our pro.pilot network of electronic
aids helps drivers avoid potential
hazards and assists them when dan-
gerous situations arise. These aids
include systems that automatically
monitor speed and inter-vehicular dis-
tance, display speed-limit information
and alert drivers to vehicles in blind
spots. Night Vision – another pro.pilot
safety feature – spots people and
objects on roads when visibility is
limited and posts a warning for driv-
ers in a head-up display on the car’s
windshield.