As vehicles get more and more complex, auto suppliers will need everything in their arsenal to win major contracts from automakers. According to an article on Just-Auto (sub. req'd), by the year 2012, automotive suppliers will bear more than half of the total research and development of a given automobile. What this means for suppliers is that they need to stay at the forefront in environmental technologies. Increasingly complex systems will be necessary for automobiles to meet stringent emissions and fuel efficiency requirements. Biofuels and clean diesel technology are reportedly one area that suppliers are being relied rather heavily upon.

Not only must the suppliers integrate the latest technology into their equipment, they need to do so at an agreeable cost to the manufacturer. Donald Walker of Magna International indicates that the road ahead will not be easy, saying, "There will be fewer pieces of the business to bid on, so the supply chain is going to shrink. Some suppliers will prosper and others will go out of business." Sounds like an already tough business stands to get even tougher.

[Source: Just-Auto - sub. req'd]

Those who follow the automotive industry closely are surely familiar with Magna International, one of the largest auto parts suppliers in the world -- so large, in fact, that the company was actually in on the bidding to purchase Chrysler from Daimler last year. Now it seems that the global company is throwing its hat into the plug-in hybrid ring. Magna founder Frank Stronach says, "You don't have to be a great scientist to know that we're going to be out of oil sooner or later." The company is investing $30 million into the hybrid project, which reportedly involves gasoline, electric and natural gas powerplants. Magna's Austrian arm is leading the project.

Magna is no stranger to the assembly of cars, holding contracts for such revered marques as BMW and Mercedes Benz. We have few details on the actual vehicle being considered, though. All we know for sure is that its likely to play in a market not occupied by its customers. We look forward to finding the answers to such questions as whether or not the vehicle will be sold under the Magna name and what countries the vehicle is being designed for. We'll keep you posted.

[Source: ReportonBusiness.com]

At the Geneva Motor Show earlier in March contract vehicle assembler Magna Steyr unveiled a concept for a small, lightweight off-roader called the Mila Alpin. The Mila Alpin was designed to accommodate a variety of different power-trains including hybrids and electric drives. According to German mag Auto Motor und Sport, they are now talking with both BMW and Mercedes about potentially using the Mila Alpin architecture to underpin new models from the German manufacturers. Since Magna doesn't produce vehicles under its own branding, the Mila Alpin was alway intended as a platform that could be adopted by other companies. Mercedes had always designed the sandwich floor architecture of the A and B-Class in part to accommodate alternative drivetrains. Mercedes however has of late been looking for a partner to help develop the next generation models to reduce the cost. BMW is planning new smaller electric vehicles, possibly with the revival of the Isetta brand. A range of vehicles, including an off-roader, could provide an interesting re-launch to the brand.


[Source: The Truth About Cars]

It appears that Magna Steyr wants to expand their horizons in the wake of losing the BMW X3 assembly business. At the Advanced Automotive Battery and Ultracapacitor Conference (AABC), Battery Systems Product Manager Peter Pichler announced that series production of Magna's lithium ion battery packs would be in production in 2009. The initial packs will use cylindrical cells while packs with prismatic cells would enter production in 2010. The first packs for mild hybrids will be air-cooled but full hybrid packs will liquid cooled. So far Magna has used cells supplied by Saft but other cell manufacturers will also get a chance.

[Source: GreenCarCongress]