Car parts giant unveils new self-driving vehicle system in bid to woo manufacturers
Car parts giant Magna International, which is building a new factory in Telford, has taken the wraps off its own autonomous driving system as the prospect of self-driving cars draws nearer.
The Canadian company has unveiled its MAX4 system, which combines cameras, radar, lidar or light detection, and sensors which can be integrated into car marques' own systems.
One of the targets for Magna was to simplify the way drivers engage with autonomous driving systems including the option of a cruise-control-like system that is controlled with the press of a button.
It illustrates how self-driving systems will appear to drivers once autonomous vehicles eventually hit the road – although there is a need for more infrastructure and legislative changes before that can happen.
"At the heart of this development is a desire to show the market Magna's breadth of capabilities and an autonomous driving enabling platform with subsystems that do not compromise the interior and exterior of a vehicle," said Swamy Kotagiri , Magna's chief technology officer.
"Our focus is on developing production-ready solutions that offer flexibility to integrate and the framework to enable Level four technology for when the market is ready."
The company also said the system was ready for large-scale production, as the Canadian car parts colossus flutters its eyelashes at OEMs which are considering entry into the self-driving vehicle market.
Magna has been developing and manufacturing autonomous technology features for car makers since the 2000s. Most recently it showcased its Level 3 autonomous capability with a 300-mile test drive which crossed an international border, in which the vehicle drove autonomously for 92 per cent of the trip.
Magna will demonstrate its autonomous enabling technologies at the upcoming 2017 International Motor Show in Frankfurt.
The company is currently building a major new factory in Telford which will make structural castings, principally for Jaguar Land Rover. It also owns long-standing Shropshire pressings company Stadco.
