Visteon-De Tomaso Partnership Results In Sophisticated Interior
1 March 1999
Visteon-De Tomaso Partnership Results In Sophisticated Interior, Leading Technologies
DETROIT, March 1 -- Sleek curves, polished leather and
extraordinary technology delivered in less than a year to a visionary Italian
sports car, the De Tomaso Mangusta.
Visteon Automotive Systems and De Tomaso Automobiles, Ltd. took the wraps
off the Mangusta technology show vehicle -- and their highly successful
alliance -- at the 1999 Society of Automotive Engineers International Congress
and Exposition.
Visteon worked with De Tomaso to design and engineer a custom interior for
the production Mangusta. Engineered in just 12 months, the interior -- a
complete, leather wrapped cockpit -- features unique seats, instrument panel,
console and door trim panels. It also features a Visteon audio system and
instrument cluster.
The show vehicle on display at SAE takes interior technology even farther,
however, by highlighting several new Visteon products and technologies that
could be integrated into future De Tomaso vehicles.
The Mangusta is the first production vehicle to benefit from the year-old
technology partnership between Visteon and De Tomaso. As a limited-edition
sports car, the Mangusta serves as critical testimony to the expert
capabilities Visteon offers its customers.
"We continue to transform our engineering and design processes to meet
De Tomaso's requirements and the very singular needs of the Mangusta," said
Craig Muhlhauser, president of Visteon. "Success -- for De Tomaso and Visteon
-- is dependent upon establishing a shared vision of acceptable technology
solutions and then pushing beyond the envelope.
"We were able to design, develop, manufacture and supply a limited
production, Italian pedigree sports car interior in only 12 months by
listening to what our customer -- and their customers -- wanted and applying
some unconventional methods to achieve it," Muhlhauser continued. "This is
exactly what Visteon offers to all of its customers -- unsurpassed service and
technology and speed and flexibility combined with an acute understanding of
the market and consumer interests."
"De Tomaso is delighted to be involved with Visteon," said Bruce Qvale,
president and CEO, De Tomaso. "Without doubt this strategic alliance has been
a positive move for both companies. We are getting the high quality interior
we were seeking in the minimum of time, as well as access to Visteon's other
technology capabilities."
Visteon began work on the Mangusta interior in March of last year. Upon
meeting with De Tomaso's designers and engineers in Italy, Visteon quickly
decided to reengineer its design, engineering and manufacturing processes to
meet De Tomaso's unique needs -- low volumes, high style, and the presence of
technologies that would match the expectations of sports car enthusiasts.
"By applying prototype methods that incorporated stringent quality
parameters, we were able to meet De Tomaso's design and cost objectives," said
Raymond Boufford, Visteon program manager of specialty vehicles. "We decided
to take a new approach to meet De Tomaso's needs and we used new processes to
deliver solutions."
"For example, we are using prototype tooling to manufacture this
interior," Boufford continued. "Prototype tooling allows us to achieve a
quicker turnaround and is less costly than high-volume production tooling.
And now that we have launched these technologies in a low-volume application,
we can quickly move to high-volume production with other customers."
The Mangusta is the first major project to come out of Visteon's new
Global Technology Development Center in Livonia, Michigan.
"This is a perfect example of meeting the technology and timing
requirements of the customer by bringing in the expertise of the Visteon
divisions for one-stop technology development," said John Quigley, director,
Visteon Global Technology Development. "We are continuously looking at new
innovations for future De Tomaso applications, including current work on next-
generation plug and play auto-shift manual powertrain modifications."
The Mangusta will be officially unveiled at the Geneva Auto Show next
week. Production of the sports car is slated to begin in late summer, with a
projected volume of 600 cars annually for sale in Europe and North America.
Visteon is using the Mangusta to not only showcase its design and
production capabilities, but also to preview some of its leading consumer
technologies. The Mangusta Visteon is displaying at the Society of Automotive
Engineers show in Detroit features technologies that will likely be made
available on the vehicle in the near future.
Among those technologies:
* NavMate(TM), Visteon's world-class turn-by-turn vehicle navigation
system. Navmate allows consumers to select their destination by entering a
specific information into an easy-to-use command menu. GPS and dead-reckoning
pinpoint the vehicle location and voice directions guide the driver to the
desired destination.
* In-Dash 6CD Radio is a premium dash-mounted six disc CD changer system
with tuner. It offers consumers premium sound quality, an in-dash CD changer
and the convenience of radio reset buttons to select CDs.
* Advanced Restraint System offers consumers the next generation of
safety performance. These adaptive restraints provide tailored deployment of
the frontal airbags, taking into account crash severity and whether or not the
safety belt is engaged.
* Side Crash Sensors complement the Advanced Restraint system by
providing a small remote sensor, packaged under seat or in the B-pillar, to
deploy side airbags.
* Tap Sensitive On-Glass Keyless Entry will delight drivers. This high-
style, on-glass switch technology allows keyless entry into the vehicle by
tapping an "on glass" numerical keypad or graphic logo.
* Hands-free Vehicle Entry is designed to assist consumers who dislike
carrying keys. This next-generation keyless entry system allows drivers to
shut off vehicle security systems and unlock the doors with a Customer
Identification Device (CID) -- a plastic card with a silicon chip embedded in
it. When the driver is within 1.5 meters of the vehicle, encrypted
communication between the vehicle and the CID unlocks the door without the use
of keys.
* Faceted Projector HID Lighting offers drivers 250 percent more light on
the road, a longer bulb life and better glare control.
* Diode Laser Tail Lamps and Diode Laser Center High Mounted Stop Lamps
have a jewel-like appearance and faster brake illumination, allowing for
additional driver response time in braking situations.
"I am extremely happy that our people exceeded the expectations of
De Tomaso by getting the job done on time, on target and with style,"
Muhlhauser said. "We have the capability and resources to offer every Visteon
customer this level of service and dedication. The customer's success is our
success -- there can be no other way to look at it."
With a global delivery system consisting of more than 120 technical,
manufacturing, sales and service facilities located in 20 countries, Visteon
is leveraging the talents of its 82,000 employees to deliver innovative,
consumer-driven automotive solutions to its customers.