Brose supports Chinese automotive industry upgrade with innovation expertise

Mobility trends such as e-mobility, cross-system connectivity and autonomous driving are changing the requirements for tomorrow’s vehicles. Brose connects mechatronic components with sensors and software to create intelligent systems, which offers a new personalized mobility and comfort experience to end-users. With this approach the automotive supplier contributes to the automotive industry upgrade roadmap in China.

Innovative technologies leading future mobility trends

Brose is transforming vehicle boarding and travel into a unique experience with the intelligent interaction between access and interior functions. Via cross-system connectivity, the car recognizes and welcomes the driver with a projection in the window. Vehicle users simply open the car by making a gesture. The hands-free door opens automatically and provides reliable anti-collision protection during the door movement process. The relax seat lets passengers comfortably recline in an autonomous driving scenario. It also supports quick sitting position adjustment, ensuring passengers’ safety in case of a potential collision. The smart interconnection between the power liftgate and the second and third row seats enables flexible interior spaces and accommodates consumers’ individual needs such as transporting extra-large objects.

In response to the fast-growing market needs of autonomous driving and electrification solutions in China, Brose offers products like redundant electric power steering motors, electric brake drives and thermal management systems solutions to the local market. With the automatic emergency braking function, the highly dynamic brake motor secures passengers’ safety in an autonomous driving scenario. This product can be applied to conventional vehicles as well. The electric climate compressor, suitable for all kinds of hybrid and electric passenger cars as well as light commercial vehicles, can adjust the cabin temperature to a comfortable level even before the driver enters. The modular design concept perfectly matches car manufactures’ diversified demands for motor performance and compressor size in China.

Local approaches empowering global applications

To seize the opportunities of transformation of the automotive industry, the company is further strengthening local engineering capabilities, especially in electronics and software. Brose is currently the only electric climate compressor supplier with local software development competence in China. The local team has developed the electric modules and software of Brose’s first 810 Volt product and provided vital support to project development in Europe.

More importantly, Brose takes the local market needs into consideration when the initial product development starts. Chinese consumers attach great importance to acoustics performance. With the structural design of plastic carrier, Brose door systems optimize interior noise and enable a quieter cabin environment compared with conventional solutions. As demands for premium quality products and services in China rise, car users are paying more attention to interior comfort. Brose’s locally developed multi-functional power rear seat structure enables passengers to adjust the seat to the optimal position at a comfortable speed and create a more convenient interior space extension.

Green philosophy supporting carbon neutrality

Pushing forward green transformation to achieve the carbon neutrality objective is an essential long-term development strategy of China. Brose has been implementing green concepts in all aspects from product development, design and production to plant construction for more than 20 years worldwide. Adopting the global coating technology and standards, Brose China’s first eco-friendly electrophoretic coating line was officially launched last year in its Taicang factory. This coating line achieves zero waste liquid discharge during the entire production process, which significantly reduces the environmental impact and sets an industrial benchmark in green manufacturing in China. Brose also continues to fulfill its social commitments in environment protection. As of 2020, the company has planted some 200,000 square meters of forest in Ningxia and Inner Mongolia of China, compensating carbon emissions by nearly 100,000 kilograms in total.

“Brose is committed to providing high value-added technology solutions and services to our global and local customers while simultaneously advancing the further development of the Chinese automotive industry,” concludes Jenny Xiang, President Brose China.

About Brose

Brose is the world’s fourth-largest family-owned automotive supplier. The company develops and produces mechatronic systems for vehicle doors and seats as well as electric motors, drives and electronics, among others for steering, brakes, transmissions and engine cooling. Around 25,000 employees at 65 locations in 24 countries generated around 40 billion rmb (5.1 billion euros) sales in 2020. Every second new vehicle worldwide is equipped with at least one Brose product.

About Brose China

Brose started its activities in the Chinese market in 1996 and has been growing ever since. Today, the company has twelve sites in six of China’s most important automotive hubs (Shanghai, Beijing, Changchun, Chongqing, Wuhan and Guangzhou) and has localized its entire product portfolio as well as its research and development expertise in the country. The company employs around 3,600 people in China and generated sales of approximately 8.6 billion rmb (1.1 billion euros) in 2020.