NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas—Continental A.G. is building a $110 million plant to manufacture advanced driver assistance systems in New Braunfels, where it will retain 450 jobs and create another 130.
Construction will begin in the first half of 2020 on a 215,000-sq.-ft. facility to expand production and research capabilities for vehicle safety functions in vehicles, which has grown significantly in the last decade. Production is expected to start in 2021.
"ADAS technologies are becoming more widely adopted and help drivers become more comfortable and efficient behind the wheel," Samir Salman, CEO of Continental North America, said in a news release. "…Having a facility specifically dedicated to the development and production of these technologies is a major step in helping us achieve our vision of a world with zero fatalities, injuries and crashes."
Continental is building at a greenfield site about 15 miles from the company's powertrain division—called Vitesco Technologies—in Seguin, Texas. This 320,000-sq-ft site, which employs more than 1,500 people, is one of the company's larger manufacturing facilities.
The company's second site in Texas adds space for production and innovation that will support its accident-reduction goal of Vision Zero, according to Amit Kapoor, head of the ADAS business unit for Continental North America.
"With this new location, we will further strengthen and advance our leading position in the development of assisted and automated driving," Kapoor said in the release.
Since 2011, Continental invested about $3.5 billion in manufacturing, technology, facilities and product development in the U.S., where it employs more than 19,000 people. Recent regional investments include Continental's tire plant in Clinton, Miss.
Founded in 1871, Continental also provides technology for the machines, traffic and transportation markets in addition to vehicles. The company generated sales of 44.4 billion euros in 2018 with more than 240,000 employees in 60 countries and markets.