HYDERABAD: The state government is planning to develop a mobility engineering cluster in Hyderabad, IT minister KT Rama Rao said.
“Automobiles have aspirational value in India as upwardly mobile middle-class population is increasingly owning vehicles. As more and more vehicles are set to ply on roads, the safety and efficiency of automobiles assume utmost significance. We are planning a mobility engineering cluster in the city by attracting automotive technology companies to it,” he said at the launch of technology centre of ZF, a global automobile components manufacturer.
Rama Rao said that a testing track and a centre for automotive technology would be set up in Hyderabad, on the lines of MCity at the University of Michigan in the US, to facilitate research and development in automobiles technology.
“The Telangana government will partner with ZF to make Hyderabad a preferred destination for carrying out research and development in automotive technology,” Rao said.
Germany-based ZF Friedrichshafen AG, which manufactures car components and is engaged in development of automotive technology, is considered a global leader in drive line and chassis technology. It launched its first technology centre in India at Hyderabad. The centre, set up with an investment of 15 million euros (about Rs 100 crore), will create 2,500 jobs by 2020.
“As the automobile components market is increasing in India and all over the globe, we have set up the technology centre in India to develop futuristic automotive technology.
By taking up research and development in automotive technology we will cater to both India and the world market from this centre. As Hyderabad is home to many reputed software companies, has a large engineering talent pool and an eco-system encouraging innovation, we chose Hyderabad to set up technology centre,” said ZF chief executive officer Stefan Sommer.
Mamatha Chamarthi, chief digital officer of ZF, said that the company would also focus on leveraging the vibrant startup ecosystem of Hyderabad and partner with startups coming up with innovative ideas in automobiles technology.