Continental researching dandelions as rubber source; Ford invites competitors to license inflatable safety-belt technology; new Autonet Mobile TCU reaches 4G speed.
Halla Visteon Climate Control takes control of Chinese JV; Malaysia trade mission seeks to build on Mazda investment; JCI opens big battery plant in China.
Johnson Controls, SAIC subsidiary form auto-interiors JV; new Plastic Omnium factories will supply Volkswagen, General Motors; Mexican aluminum supplier opening first Russian plant.
Eaton enhances partnership with China’s Great Wall; U.S. plastics maker’s subsidiaries will coordinate with Swiss acquisition; Kiekert locks up Russian business.
Henkel demonstrates optical adhesives for vehicle-display applications; Spanish researchers focus on automotive night vision; United Arab Emirates counting on sunny skies for solar-car competition.
The supplier’s global automotive portfolio includes its NOK Freudenberg Group China sealing-products joint venture, which grew at about twice the overall auto-industry rate in that country in 2013.