Technology Article

FORVIA in China

ma chuan
Today, China is a major player in the electric vehicle market and at the forefront of digital and connected cockpit technologies. Ma Chuan, Executive Vice President, China, discusses FORVIA’s long-standing presence and activities in China.

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With over 80 sites and 32,000 employees, China is FORVIA’s primary country in terms of operations. In 2023, we inaugurated the Group’s first net zero plant, a site that is also at the forefront of digitization. 

China is an important market for its growth potential and innovation dynamic. We have been present here for more than 30 years, including through a number of joint ventures with local OEMs. This allows us to serve more than 40 OEMs in total, global and Chinese, especially in the electric vehicle segment, which today represents 46% of our sales in China.

Key to this are our local R&D centers, where our Chinese teams participate in the development of technology for the Chinese market and beyond. A great example is the second-row zero-gravity Captain Chair that we showcased at Auto Shanghai 2023, which reclines the seat to an angle that is almost completely flat. This was specifically engineered with the Chinese premium customer in mind, meeting the market’s demand for heightened comfort in rear seats. Our state-of-the-art LUMI seating illumination technology was also developed in China and has now been sold to Renault.

“Our presence here – with local talent and local leadership – gives us insights into local customers, which, alongside the expertise and support of our teams around the world, allow us to create technologies that elevate the in-car experience to new levels for all markets.”

Ma Chuan
Executive Vice President, China, FORVIA

An innovation dynamic

China is an important market for its growth potential and innovation dynamic – especially when it comes to the electric vehicle segment.
46%
of FORVIA’s sales in China are in the electric vehicle segment