Visteon Increases Production of Radios with Connectivity Features for Vehicles in Brazil

Over the five past years, Visteon has increased by 30 percent its production in Brazil of radios with connectivity-related features such as USB, Bluetooth® wireless technology, iPod® devices and voice command. This year, connectivity-equipped radios will account for approximately 40 percent of Visteon’s radio production in Brazil. By 2015, Visteon expects that all radios it produces in Brazil will be equipped with technologies capable of keeping drivers connected.

”The trend toward more sophisticated radios is driven by an overall increase in Brazilians’ income, and by the emergence of consumers who desire more on-board technology, driven in part by the influx of imported vehicles that offer more content at competitive prices,” said Roberto Picchi, director of electronics for Visteon in South America.

Visteon began manufacturing radios equipped with Bluetooth wireless technology in 2005. Today, they represent nearly half of the approximately 500,000 radio sets that Visteon assembles each year at its plant in Manaus, Brazil. The radios are sold as original equipment and as accessories at dealerships in Brazil.

“We expect demand for connectivity to continue to rise,” Picchi said. “We’re prepared to meet the challenge by launching audio products that are easy and pleasing for drivers to interact with, thus mitigating driver distraction, while offering more ways to stay connected.”