The German Tier-I major is in talks with two of the biggest two-wheeler OEMs in India to sell its cost-effective radar technology for both ICE and electric vehicle models.
27 Aug 2024 | 13419 Views | By Mayank Dhingra
German Tier I major Continental, a key supplier of safety-related components such as ABS and airbag control units to Indian OEMs, is now eyeing the Indian two-wheeler industry to introduce its Advanced Rider Assistance Systems or ARAS solutions.
Dr Anshu Gupta, Director, Continental, Germany, said the company already has ...
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German Tier I major Continental, a key supplier of safety-related components such as ABS and airbag control units to Indian OEMs, is now eyeing the Indian two-wheeler industry to introduce its Advanced Rider Assistance Systems or ARAS solutions.
Dr Anshu Gupta, Director, Continental, Germany, said the company already has a two-wheeler ARAS solution in production globally for the last three years. It includes rider-assist functions such as blind-spot detection, lane-change assist, adaptive cruise control and rear-end collision warning. The solution is based on a cost- effective 4D imaging radar sensor developed by the company.
“We are now trying to bring it to the Indian market. However, we are still assessing which category within the two-wheeler segment to target,” said Dr Gupta, adding that his company is evaluating existing vehicle architectures, including both ICE and EV models, to determine which of them is best suited for the offerings.
Given that such systems work well on models with anti-lock braking (ABS) and that all motorcycles and scooters belonging to the above-125cc category come with ABS in India, Continental too is likely to be focusing on this segment for its rider assistance systems.
While Continental did not disclose any concrete timeline for the launch in India, Dr Gupta said he is hopeful of finding his first customer by the end of the year. “We have very positive discussions going on with two of the biggest two-wheeler OEMs in India,” he said.
Continental is no stranger to the extreme cost pressures faced by two-wheeler makers in India. The company in 2019, came up with a single-channel ABS module that is today found in some of India’s popular entry-level motorcycles in the 125-200cc segment. Nevertheless, it says it is open to an OEM partnership to roll out its ARAS solutions.
“What we would also like to do is partner with someone who has been in the market for a long time, and knows the Indian market deeply. We want to ensure that we launch our product strongly, and in a stable manner in India,” he added.
Like most of its other solutions on offer, the Tier I major is also aiming to localise these advanced safety technologies in the country, and says volumes will play a crucial role in determining its roadmap. “It is about economies of scale, and once we see volumes, like any other Tier 1 player, we would invest in localising the product in India. The only possible roadblock, therefore, is the volume,” Dr Gupta said.
Cost-effective Autonomous Cars
Continental feels that not only can its latest 4D imaging radar sensor be used to provide ARAS in two-wheelers, but it can also be useful in implementing cost effective Level-2+ and Level-3 autonomous driving capabilities and advanced driver assistance systems or ADAS in cost-sensitive markets.
It feels that the sensor can complement other technologies such as cameras and Lidar sensors used for enabling ADAS functionalities such as adaptive cruise control and lane-keep assist. The company says the sensor provides the best radar performance for critical use cases in urban and highway scenarios, and offers high range and angular accuracy.
Continental believes its imaging radar solution is particularly suited for emerging markets. “We anticipate demand from emerging markets in Asia, including India, where vehicles equipped with a smart radar sensor would be able to deliver basic Level-2+ capabilities,” Dr Gupta said.
Level 2 automation refers to a system that can manage both steering and acceleration, but requires the driver to remain engaged with the driving task and be ready to take control when needed. In Level 3, the driver is not required to continuously supervise the driving task but must be available to take over if the system requests intervention.
“On top of that, with the emerging trend of SDVs or software-defined vehicles, vehicles will have distributed zonal architectures, wherein our satellite radars (those placed around the vehicle) as well as imaging radars will play a key role in offering consistent Level-2+ and Level-3 functionalities.
While this is a global outlook, we are equally excited for the Indian market. Here, we see a trend not only for four-wheelers, but also for two-wheelers, which form the largest motorised segment on Indian roads. As Continental, we are committed to ensure that we do our best to make Indian roads safer, both for two-wheelers, as well as for passenger vehicles,” Dr Gupta added.
This feature was first published in Autocar Professional's August 15, 2024 issue.