Dec. 28, 2017—Denso is making multiple capital investments in electric vehicle (EV) and autonomous technologies to spark the production of connected cars to consumers.
These investments include:
- A $1 billion stake in manufacturing plant in Maryville, Tenn. to add multiple production lines to build new electrification products for hybrids and electric vehicles.
- InfiniteKey, a 15-month-old Holland company that has developed a smartphone app that will unlock and start a car without keys.
- A $440 million investment in organic light-emitting diode (OLED) panel maker JOLED.
Denso will showcase three of its ventures at the Consumer Electronics show in Las Vegas in January.
The company is currently looking for additional startup businesses that will propel the development of technology that will advance the industry, such as cybersecurity.
“DENSO’s vision for the future of mobility goes beyond automotive, and it will take the combination of a broad range of emerging technologies to make that vision a reality,” says Tony Cannestra, director of Denso’s corporate ventures, which decides where investments go. “This year we’ll look especially at companies tackling automated driving, cybersecurity and both biometric and vehicle sensors, including LIDAR and radar. Our CES meetings will play a big role in decisions over the next year.”
