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Sweden Looking to Strengthen Development of Greener, Safer, Intelligent and More Connected Vehicles


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STOCKHOLM, December 8, 2008:Sweden hosts a world-class automotive cluster represented by leading global brands such as SAAB Automobile, Scania, Volvo Car Corporation and Volvo Group alongside some 1,000 suppliers.

Delegates from Sweden's automotive industry will be present at the Volvo Ocean Race Village in Willingdon in Kochi on 12 December to meet representatives from India's automotive industry. The aim is to strengthen the Swedish automotive cluster with further investment and expansion.

Since the mid-1990s, the Swedish Government and automotive industry have invested some $2 billion in developing The Green Vehicle, The Safe Vehicle, The Intelligent Vehicle and The Connected Vehicle, both in the passenger and commercial vehicle space.

"Sweden can be a world leader when it comes to creating the solutions needed to adapt future means of transport. These solutions are already in demand globally," says Robert Karlsson, head of automotive at Invest in Sweden Agency.

Lean, green, efficient vehicles

Sweden spearheads research in hybrid technology for plug-in hybrid vehicles. Over a five-year period, some $40 million will be invested in a joint venture between Volvo, SAAB, energy company Vattenfall, the Swedish State and the Swedish Energy Agency to develop next-generation plug-in hybrid vehicles that will reduce fuel consumption and emissions.

Safety at the core

Sweden has a long tradition of safety thinking for cars, trucks, buses and roads, and was the first country to establish a zero vision for traffic and road safety. This has resulted in many groundbreaking road safety technologies, helping the Swedish automotive industry to achieve world-leading status.

The SAFER Vehicle and Traffic Safety Centre at Chalmers University of Technology is a research unit where 22 partners from academia, industry and society cooperate in the design of future vehicle and traffic safety systems. SAFER covers several research disciplines and encompasses both traffic and vehicle safety in real environments.

Connected vehicles of the future

Striving towards a zero vision without traffic casualties requires tight integration between drivers, vehicles and road infrastructure. Real-time information on road surfaces, traffic situations and emergency calls, as well as remote diagnostics of vehicle conditions are examples of the capabilities of a connected vehicle.

The $31 million Vehicle ICT and Telematics Programme aims to strengthen the international competitiveness of the Swedish automotive industry by concentrating complex system engineering efforts and resources.

Intelligent, cost-effective vehicles

The increasing involvement of vehicle electronics and embedded software is the single biggest technological trend within the global automotive industry, according to Hans Hentzell, president of the Swedish ICT Research Institute.

The emergence of vehicle electronics systems enables use of cost-effective platforms and systems that are easily adapted for different scenarios.

"A major difficulty lies in designing interfaces in complex vehicle systems. Sweden offers a unique situation with internationally competitive automotive and telecom industries with significant development located in Sweden," adds Hentzell.

The Swedish government and automotive industry is investing some $1.4 billion into advanced vehicle technologies over a 10-year period.

Existing Sweden-India collaboration

There are already partnerships in place between India and Sweden. When Tata Motors bought Jaguar-Land Rover earlier this year, it gained access to a common platform used during development of new vehicles, which is largely built on Swedish vehicle electronics technology.

Since 2007, Eicher Motors is part of Volvo thanks to a $350 million joint venture. The partnership has improved Volvo's access to the Indian truck market, where Eicher is the third largest manufacturer of light, medium, and heavy commercial vehicles.