Chrysler 2004 Annual Report Download - page 21

The Group made further increases in its research and
development investments in 2004, bringing the total to 1,810
million euros or about 4% of Industrial Activities net revenues.
Overall, R&D activities involved approximately 12,400 people
at 121 centers in Italy and abroad.
In 2004, the Group’s two R&D companies, the Fiat Research
Center (FRC) and Elasis, intensified their interactions with each
other and with the operating sectors’ engineering services.
Better coordination of policies, objectives and initiatives made
it possible to rationalize skills and make the most of each
center’s areas of excellence.
FIAT RESEARCH CENTER
Environmentally-friendly engines, innovative vehicle structures,
electronic chassis control systems, telematic applications,
integrated transportation safety, environmental protection and
advanced manufacturing methods. These are the fields where
the Fiat Research Center concentrated its work in 2004,
increasing its activities by 10% above those of the previous year.
With a staff of around 930 employees at December 31, the FRC
made significant progress during the year, with R&D output
totaling over 470 projects. 118 new patent applications were
filed, bringing the total number of patents held by the Center
to 1,211.
These activities benefited the Fiat Research Center’s 430 clients,
150 of whom are outside the Group and include Fiat suppliers
and other small and medium enterprises.
Of the many awards testifying to the high quality of the Center’s
work, one of the year’s most important was “Italy 2004 – Best
Innovator Award” promoted by A.T. Kearney and by the
newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore with the cooperation of Confindustria,
the Federation of Italian Industries. The award honors
outstanding achievements in strategic innovations.
The Fiat Research Center’s major accomplishments in 2004
are reviewed below:
■Stop & Start prototype.The system uses an innovative
powerplant control device which integrates the engine and
robotized transmission with a belt-driven alternator-starter
to shut off the engine and restart it automatically at traffic
lights or during stop-and-go driving and deceleration. The
prototype, which has been successfully tested, cuts fuel
consumption by over 20% under particular severe traffic
conditions and provides an excellent cost-benefit ratio
without detracting from ride comfort and driveability.
■New natural gas applications for commercial vehicles.
IVECO’s Tector CNG and Cursor 8 CNG compressed natural
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Innovation and Technology
INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY