Chrysler 2008 Annual Report Download - page 89

Report on Operations Magneti Marelli88
Engine Control
Revenues for 2008 remained fairly stable at €933 million, with
strong sales of Gasoline Direct Injection (GDI) injectors and
manifolds to OEMs countering a slowdown in revenues in the
U.S. market.
Product rollouts during the year included Freechoice systems
for the Fiat 500, Maserati GranTurismo and for FIASA in Brazil,
manifolds for new Fiat Bravo engines and for the Lancia Delta,
and the natural gas system for the Grande Punto. Innovation
concentrated on development of new products and
technologies for hybrid vehicles, biofuels, and low-
consumption gasoline and diesel engines.
Major orders received during the year included: systems for
the FIRE 1.0-litre and 1.4-litre Evolution engines for the new
Palio and new Uno in Brazil; a throttle body for General Motors
in Europe, China, the USA and Brazil; and GDI injectors for
Volkswagen.
Suspension Systems
Revenues for the year totalled €893 million, substantially in
line with 2007 on a comparable scope of operations. Though
major gains were made in Poland, driven by products for the
Fiat 500 and Panda, and in Brazil for Fiat, they were offset by
performance in Italy which was impacted by the halt in
production at the G.B. Vico plant and the transfer of the
Mechanical Component Assembly business to Fiat Group
Automobiles in April 2008, in addition to the overall slump in
the Italian market in the second half of the year.
New products launched during the year included suspension
systems for the Lancia Delta, Alfa MiTo and Fiat 500 Abarth, as
well as a complete suspension system for Ford.
Shock Absorbers
The business line’s 2008 revenues totalled €315 million, a 5.4%
increase driven by higher sales in Brazil and in Poland for the
Ducato and Fiat 500. There was a slowdown in the latter part of
the year, especially for the U.S. market.
New orders were received from all major customers, including
Fiat Group Automobiles, Mercedes, PSA and General Motors.
Electronic Systems
Revenues for 2008 totalled €570 million, up 2.5% from the
previous year. Instrument panels increased by 10%, driven by
sales to external customers. Telematics lost ground due to
changes in the product mix for infotainment systems, but there
was an increase in sales of the Blue&Me system to Fiat. Sales
of products for vehicle interiors dropped.
Development activities concentrated on hardware and software
design for the new generation of navigation systems for PSA,
and on the radio/navigator for Fiat, PSA and SAIC. Instrument
panel products were developed for new Volkswagen-Audi,
Renault and Citroën models, while the business line also
worked on a telematic-compatible high-resolution display for
PSA and Maserati. The vehicle interiors products line
developed new body computers for Fiat, the body computer for
the new Palio in Brazil, climate control systems for new Fiat
models, electronics for Stop & Start systems, door modules for
Renault, and a comfort module for Volkswagen in Brazil.
Orders were received for an instrument panel for PSA for use
in the European and Chinese markets, and for instrument panel
and vehicle interior products for the new Palio. For telematics
products, orders were booked for the Fiat Bravo and Croma
radio/navigator, for the new generation of telematics products
for PSA, and for the Telematic Box in Brazil.