Sasken enters into JV with Tata AutoComp

Sasken Communication Technologies and Tata AutoComp Systems (TACO) have formed a joint venture to address the automotive electronics market.

TACO, a Tata Group company, provides products and services in the area of auto components to automotive manufacturers while Sasken is a provider of embedded communications solutions. A spokesperson for Sasken said they will not be disclosing the holdings of this JV as of now.

The new company, TACO Sasken Automotive Electronics Private Limited, will design, develop and market automotive electronics products for the global market, addressing both original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and aftermarket.

D S Gupta, managing director, TACO, said, "Electronics content is a high-growth area in the global automotive industry. With TACO's focus on the global automotive industry, development capabilities within the Tata Group, and Sasken's expertise in electronics and communications, the JV has the potential to become an innovative, global solution provider for automotive electronics."

To start with, the JV will focus on automotive electronics products in the areas of telematics, infotainment and occupant convenience.

The joint venture company's product development centre will be located in Bangalore. Rajiv Mody, chairman and CEO of Sasken, said, "For a long time, innovation in technology was driven by the PC. But over the past few years a vast majority of innovation focus has moved to phones and lately to automobiles, creating huge opportunity in the embedded auto component world." He said the JV would be able to provide cutting-edge embedded technology to the automotive sector.