As the automobile gets more and more software technology specified, and drives towards the electrification era, the demand for Indian engineers is also on the rise. Canadian Tier 1 major Magna International’s latest plan also reveals that. The company plans to invest over $120 million (more than INR 980 crore) to set up a new engineering centre in Brigade Tech Garden, Bengaluru.
The technology development centre will focus on vehicle electrification and software defined vehicles. Around 1,000 engineers and technical experts are supposed to be hired by the end of 2023, with the capacity to add up to 250 more as needed. Magna states the centre will serve as a key base for the company in powertrain electrification, electronics and software defined vehicle development.
Magna International’s Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Anton Mayer said, “Vehicles and their systems are becoming more electrified and software-defined, which changes the architecture and how we need to develop them. With this new engineering centre, we can further strengthen our vehicle systems development and IP creation, especially in the areas of e-mobility.”
The 240,000 square-foot facility is expected to open in the first quarter of 2023 and will employ engineers and technical experts working on software and system development, simulation, testing and vehicle integration, as well as digital, data and cloud solutions for electric vehicle programs. The ground-breaking ceremony for the centre is scheduled for October 17th.
Magna is currently looking for software and hardware engineers to contribute to the company’s vision of advancing mobility for everyone and everything. Magna has 12 manufacturing divisions and three product development centers throughout India. The new investment plan follows close on the heels of a $77 million investment that the Tier 1 supplier made in Bengaluru based mobility service provider Yulu. The investment was made with a twin objective of entering the battery swapping and mobility businesses.