Conti to Expand Scalable Airbag Controller Output in China

Continental AG plans in 2014 to launch local production of its integrated airbag/stability control unit in Changchun, China.

The locally developed controllers will be supplied to an unspecified Chinese carmaker at undisclosed volumes.

The controller is based on Conti's SPEED (short for safety platform for efficient and economical design) scalable controller architecture. The platform enables customers to easily add passive and active safety features to suit market economics and demand.

Conti launched Chinese production of the base form of the platform a module that activates front and side airbags last summer. The second-stage iteration due in two years adds sensors that supply chassis dynamics data to the vehicle's electronic stability control system.

Increasingly advanced versions of the SPEED architecture add a rollover sensor, crash impact sound sensor and interfaces to such external sensors as cameras and radar.