Magnetics Business & Technology - January/February 2020 - 10

FEATURE ARTICLE

Continental Transforms Powertrain Division into Vitesco Technologies in
Response to High-Growth Momentum to Electrification

Responding to the momentum toward electrification in transportation markets, giant automotive supplier Continental is putting
a new face on its powertrain division in the name of Vitesco
Technologies. It will be home to an expanded line of e-mobility
motor and drive products, increasingly based on advanced
electronics and permanent magnet machines instead of combustion engines.
"Our customers are increasingly and consistently turning to the
electrification of combustion engines through hybrid drives as
well as to pure battery-powered vehicles, so we are concentrating systematically on this area," said Andreas Wolf, formerly
CEO of the powertrain division and continuing as CEO of Vitesco. The company is based at Regensburg, Germany alongside
Continental's headquarters.
"The future is clearly electric. We
are convinced of this," comments
Wolf, adding: "The transformation
phase along the way will almost
certainly be characterized by a
combination of drive systems. In
other words, classic combustion
Andreas Wolf, CEO of
engines will continue to be used
Viteseco
for many years and, especially in
combination with efficient hybrid
technologies, will make a significant
contribution to lower emissions."
Within this mix of drive systems, Continental expects diverging dynamics. The market for high-voltage components and
hybridization solutions, for example, is growing at a much faster
pace than anticipated. This sharp rise in production is leading
to an economically attractive business at an earlier stage than
previously thought. The company will decrease its investment
in hydraulic components such as injectors and high-pressure

10

Magnetics Business & Technology * January/February 2020

pumps as well as products related to combustion engines including diesel, seeing less opportunity in these areas.
"This transformation phase will likely extend over a number of
years, as combustion engines essentially serve as the basic
drives for hybrid solutions," remarks Wolf. "We will step by step
make more targeted investments in electrified and all-electric
technologies, increasingly shift internal resources in this direction and continue to significantly strengthen our outstanding
expertise in electronics."
In many of its product lines, Continental and, now, Vitesco also,
are regularly active in the development of a variety of solutions
based on magnetic materials and technologies.
Most notable, perhaps, is Continental's magnetic passive position sensor, MAPPS. Developed 23 years ago, the innovative
sensor has enjoyed a remarkable run of more than 100 million
units produced and its popularity is still growing with annual
demand now at about 15 million units. It is used to gage the fill
level in the vehicle tank and with its leakproof seal is corrosion-

More than 100 million MAPPS have been produced at Continental's
Dortmund plant

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Magnetics Business & Technology - January/February 2020

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