General Motors and Tata Consultancy Services, the leading global IT services, consulting and business solutions organisation, today announced a new partnership in future global vehicle engineering.

The partners say this builds on the 16-year-old relationship between the two companies. Under the new agreement signed earlier today, TCS will acquire certain assets at the GM Technical Center – India (GMTC-I), in Bangalore, and will partner with GM, supporting its global vehicle programs with engineering design services over the next five years. Over 1,300 employees of GMTC-I will transfer to TCS, including teams focused on propulsion systems, vehicle engineering, controls development, testing, creative design and special projects.

Dan Nicholson, vice-president electrification, controls, software & electronics, General Motors said: “TCS has been an outstanding partner for 16 years. We are pleased to evolve our partnership even further, as we work to deliver on our commitment to create a world with zero crashes, zero emissions and zero congestion.”

Regu Aayaswamy, Global Head, Engineering and Industrial Services Practice, Tata Consultancy Services said “We are delighted to elevate our long-standing relationship with GM to a strategic partnership. TCS is excited to be part of GM’s efforts in next generation mobility, helping them design and engineer world class vehicles that set new benchmarks in driving experience, safety and emissions. We welcome GMTC-I’s immensely talented engineers into the TCS family, and encourage them to take advantage of the vast learning and growth opportunities available, and to realise their potential.”

Susheel Vasudevan, Global Head, Manufacturing Business Group, Tata Consultancy Services said, “Next generation automotive R&D is a key focus area for TCS, given the criticality of product innovation and connectedness in the Business 4.0 world. This new partnership with General Motors is a testament to our willingness to invest in the relationship for the longer term.”

GMTC-I vice president engineering and operations, Brian McMurray said the design and engineering center in Bengaluru had contributed to a number of innovations in GM’s global vehicle portfolio over many years. “As a result of our new partnership, the design and engineering teams in Bangalore will continue to play an important role in GM’s core business. This partnership will make both companies stronger: GM will benefit from the scale and cross-sectoral knowledge of TCS, while TCS will benefit from the influx of world-class engineering talent.”

The GMTC-1 in Bangalore was established in 2004 and contributes to GM’s global programs, across propulsion systems, vehicle engineering, controls development, testing, creative design and special projects. It houses a design studio and an engineering center with state-of-the-art, in-house electronics hardware and software testing and validation infrastructure.

The transaction and handover are expected to be completed by the end of September.

Also read: GM Tech Centre India showcases its global capabilities at FISITA 2018