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08. 03. 10. - 07:00

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08. 03. 10. - 07:00

Magna Look to E-Car Systems

The prestigious Geneva Motor Show last week saw a significant Magna-Steyr presence where Günther Abfalter, President of the Austrian-Canadian concern, introduced Dr Peter Reif as head of Magna’s new subsidiary E-Car Systems.

Following the General Motors/OPEL saga last year, and the threats of the recession, the MAGNA board has seized the moment to push forward in an area that offers many opportunities.

Abfalter said that MAGNA has a clear focus on growth through expansion of its product portfolio. “The establishment of the new product group E-Car Systems is designed to pool MAGNA’s electro-mobility competence on a global basis. Our goal is to make MAGNA E-Car Systems the World’s leading engineering and manufacturing partner for hybrid and electric cars."

E-Mobility is proving to be a growing trend but one with many issues to be solved. Dr Peter Reif, President of MAGNA E-Car Systems added: "MAGNA is developing our own “Range Extender” which is an onboard battery recharger which extends the range of the vehicle. This is a significant step. With battery recharging often taking up to 9.5 hrs and battery sizes prohibitively large leaving little room for shopping, kids and grandma, MAGNA is seeking practical working solutions for E-Cars.

MAGNA has raised eyebrows in Great Britain recently as it became the first ever overseas producer of the ASTON MARTIN Rapide car under license at its Graz works in the southern Austrian province of Styria, the Green Heart of Austria.  ASTON MARTIN is the legendary car of movie star James Bond - chosen for its style and performance to star in the movie.

The ASTON MARTIN joins the series production of the PEUGEOT RCZ, the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG and the Mini Beachcomber concept at the Graz works.

But the future in Graz is E-Cars and Günther Abfalter is hoping this will indeed push MAGNA-STEYR to the forefront of global E-Mobility bringing much needed jobs to Styria and helping Austria’s trade deficit in one go. The expertise of Dr Reif is going to be crucial to realize this goal.

Richard Wolf

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