Continental will produce new electronic brake in China
Continental AG will launch production next year of its MK100 electronic brake at a newly built plant in Shanghai, says a company executive.
The MK100 weighs 1.5 kilograms, 30 percent lighter than previous brakes, and it is 40 percent smaller.
Continental is launching global production next year at its new factory in Shanghai's Jiading district, says Enno Tang, Continental China's head of electronic brakes.
The factory will export brakes to automakers in Japan and other overseas markets. Tang declined to offer additional details about the plant, which officially opens in December.
Electronic brakes are the German supplier's fastest growing product in China, Tang said.
Continental has rapidly expanded in China. Last year, the company opened a new electronics engineering center and Asian headquarters in Shanghai. The 16-floor building houses 900 employees.
In 2009, the German supplier also opened a chassis and powertrain technical center in Jiading.
Continental expects that Asia will account for 25 percent of its global sales by 2013.
