Autoliv, the global leader in automotive safety systems, is to construct a new steering wheel manufacturing plant in Aguascalientes, Mexico. When fully operational the 322,000 square feet facility will have the potential to employ up to 3,000 people.

“We are doing this expansion to meet growing customer demand,” said Kevin Fox, President, Autoliv Americas. “This new facility, along with our Matamoros, Mexico facility will allow us to continue to provide world-class support to our customers. This investment will increase capacity, but it will also allow us to optimize our manufacturing processes at both facilities and it will create exciting opportunities for our team members in Mexico.”

Kevin Fox added that the project accelerates the company’s digitalization and automation strategy and will include investment in state-of-the art manufacturing processes.

Construction of the new facility is planned to begin this month and Autoliv expects the new plant to be operational by January 2022. Once completed, capabilities will include armature casting, plastic and polyurethane injection moulding, leather preparation and wrapping, final assembly, testing, and development.

Steering wheels are an integral part of vehicle safety restraint systems and play an important role in allowing the driver to operate a vehicle safely. The wheel itself is designed to absorb energy in a crash and the center unit is where the driver airbag is mounted. Over time, many vehicle controls and driver warning systems have been mounted on the steering wheel to provide greater comfort and control over the vehicle.

Autoliv is the world’s leading producer of steering wheels for passenger vehicles. It has 16 manufacturing and assembly sites and four technical centres around the world that produce more than 20 million steering wheels annually.