Visteon Sharpens R&D Focus

Visteon Corp. is redirecting its research and development efforts to meet specific industry needs in a bid to better compete against larger rivals such as Continental and Denso.

Visteon’s overall r&d spending is expected to mirror last year’s pace of about $300 million. But the company has narrowed the number of advanced development programs it is pursuing from about 30 to a handful of more sharply defined initiatives, CEO Sachin Lawande tells Automotive News.

The company also plans to open a Silicon Valley technical center, expand its r&d staff and hire a separate chief technology officer. Lewande has held the latter position in addition to his CEO duties since joining Visteon last summer. He previously was executive vice president for Harman International Industries Inc.

Lawande says the new programs now are grouped in five strategic areas: cybersecurity, driver monitoring systems, electronic control units for infotainment systems, human-to-machine user interfaces and vehicle-to-infrastructure data links for autonomous vehicles.

No timeframe was given for the expansion plans. But AN says the new hires will include 20-30 scientists and engineering experts split between cybersecurity and autonomous vehicle technologies. Visteon currently employs about 100 research engineers.

The most promising near-term technology Visteon is developing is the SmartCore system the company announced earlier this year. It combines three microprocessors—each of which controls a different infotainment system—into a single unit. The integrated domain controller reduces weight and costs, while improving cybersecurity. Visteon will supply the new controller to an unnamed German carmaker in 2018.

Conversely, a concierge service for connected cars that Visteon was developing with IBM was killed because it lacked the necessary innovation and differentiation the company sought, according to Lawande. He dismisses the system as “gimmicky” and without substance.