Visteon to rev up localization to stay abreast of changes in China

Visteon, a United States-based automotive electronics supplier, is expected to rev up its local R&D and manufacturing facilities in China to better meet the fast-changing demands in the market, said a senior company executive.

"So for us, having the engineering, the technology development in China is critical, having state-of- the-art manufacturing is critical as well," said Bob Vallance, Visteon's senior vice-president of Global Customer Business Groups, Product Lines.

"So we do as much as we can here in China. And that won't change for us going forward," said Vallance, also general manager of Visteon the Asia-Pacific region.

The company has four manufacturing plants and four technical centers in China, with the latest opening in 2022 in Wuhan, Hubei province.

Vallance said the technology is moving quickly in the area of the digital cockpit in the Chinese vehicle market, so the only way to attract customers and partners is to have something of value.

"We have to have a solid base of R&D, technical know-how," he said, adding that Visteon was the first to offer cockpit domain controllers in the market in 2018.

He said improved manufacturing is essential as well, as its products are becoming more complex, and quality standards and customers' expectations continue to go up.

Vallance said experience is becoming an important factor to differentiate electric vehicles. "It's not just about making a good battery powered vehicle. And nobody wants to put an EV out there with old cockpit or other kinds of technologies."

At the 2023 Shanghai auto show, held in April, Visteon showcased a complete cockpit solution including its industry-leading cockpit domain controller called SmartCore, in-vehicle display solutions and the latest product and technology of electrification.

International carmakers used to account for the majority of its customers but Visteon is winning new orders from a growing list of Chinese customers including SAIC, FAW and Changan, as well as local Chinese startups.

Vallance said China will continue to be one of Visteon's largest markets, which is boosting the growth of its Asian business as a whole.