Auto supplier aims to lead on self-driving cars
DETROIT -- The American arm of a German automotive supplier is working hard to become a leader when it comes to self-driving cars.
When President Barack Obama visited the Detroit auto show in January, he stopped at ZF Group's stand for 15 minutes to hear about the latest self-driving vehicle technology the automotive supplier is making for the industry's manufacturers.
And ZF Group made a major acquisition that could help it move ahead of the pack when it comes to the fast-developing technology, acquiring TRW Automotive in a $12.4-billion deal.
At its core, ZF Group makes transmissions, chassis parts and axles. It acquired TRW so it could integrate its heavy mechanical products with TRW's sensor and electronics technology. Together, Stefan Sommer, CEO of ZF Friedrichshafen says the two companies are in a better position to develop and supply a number of systems to automakers that support the industry's mission to develop self-driving cars.
Sommer's timing appears to be perfect. The push towards self-driving cars and the technology necessary to support them dominated discussions among industry executives throughout the Detroit auto show in January, nearly overshadowing the new cars and trucks revealed by automakers. For now, ZF is focusing on the ability to make Level 3 self-driving systems -- ones that allow the car to drive itself under most circumstances with some driver intervention occasionally required.
"You must be able to support…Level 3 automatic driving if you want to stay in business," Sommer said.
The pace of development is proceeding so quickly that ZF Group said in January it will move its ZF TRW active and passive safety technology division to a larger building. The more than 600 engineers and technicians that will work out of the new 171,000-square-foot site develop camera and radar technology used in a host of high-tech systems that are part of the evolution towards self driving cars such as adaptive cruise control, lane assist, and automatic emergency braking.