The new joint venture Siemens VDO Automotive AG (D-65824 Schwalbach; www.siemensvdo.de) began operations on April 24, 2001. Shortly before this, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the last instance in this antitrust investigation, approved the merger between Siemens Automotive (D-93026 Regensburg) and Mannesmann VDO into a single company (see Plasteurope.com 08, 2000). Siemens VDO Automotive is now one of the world´s biggest automotive suppliers for high-tech electronics and also has a number of integrated production lines in the plastics segment.

The new company will have combined sales of around EUR 7 bn and will employ more than 50,000 people in 34 countries throughout the world. Its portfolio will include information, cockpit and car communication systems, including instrumentation, audio navigation, multimedia and telematic applications. The company will be organised in three segments: “Powertrain” (system solutions for the drive unit), “Safety & Chassis” (vehicle safety) and “Carbody” (carbody electronics). The commercial division will market not only car and truck spares, but also audio and navigation devices under the VDO Dayton and VDO brands.