Jeep will soon be introducing its BS VI-compliant diesel engines for India, beginning with the Compass Trailhawk variant. On the sidelines of the Jeep Compass Trailhawk media drive, Auto Tech Review caught up with Kevin Flynn, President & Managing Director, FCA India, to understand its perspective on the future of diesel engines, emission compliance technology and the way forward for the Jeep brand in India.
Kevin Flynn is currently serving as the President and Managing Director of FCA India Automobiles Private Limited. In his current role, the 60-year-old industry veteran is responsible for settingup and managing commercial operations of the Jeep brand. Flynn took up this role four years back and can be credited for successfully bringing to the market iconic Jeep SUVs such as the Grand Cherokee, Grand Cherokee SRT and the Wrangler. Under his leadership, FCA received the most number of awards for its SUV Jeep Compass in 2017-18. Prior to joining FCA India, he was the Managing Director of Jaguar Land Rover, South Africa & Sub Sahara Africa region. Flynn had also previously worked for Lexus, Porsche, BMW, VW, Audi and Lamborghini. He is a British national, residing in India and his family has settled in South Africa. Flynn has a penchant for motorsports, rugby, tennis and motorcycling and also plays golf during his free time.
The automotive industry is witnessing many disruptions both at a local and global level. What’s your take on the mobility of the future?
At the moment, the disruptions within the Indian automotive industry are slowing down. As a car company we are certainly keen to now start seeing a turnaround. The Indian market is huge and it is always going to provide an opportunity to automotive companies to further their growth. There are a lot of players in India and there are more foraying into the market with high expectations, but at the moment the market is going through a recession phase, in terms of sales. Having said that we are pleased with the way FCA has been able to maintain its market position in the segment we compete in. With the country’s general elections over people now have a sense of what the next few years are going to look like. I’m hoping for an upturn in the second half of 2019.
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Sound Generation For Enhanced Road Safety
With an ever-increasing number of fully electric and hybrid vehicles entering the market, we are witnessing a change in the acoustic experience in and around the car. The silent nature of the electric powertrain means that other road users miss the familiar acoustic cues that warn them of an approaching vehicle. To remedy this situation, Harman is working on various noise management solutions.
OBJECTIVE ASSESSMENT OF THE SAFETY CONTRIBUTION OF TODAY'S AUTOMOTIVE HEADLAMPS
Good lighting makes a major contribution to road safety. In 2011, the International Commission on Illumination (CIE) presented an evaluation system for headlamps that can objectively assess the quality of illumination and glare limitation. New light sources like LEDs and lighting functions (glare-free high beam, partial high beam) have been available for several years, so that an extension of the proven CIE method is necessary, which takes into account, among other things, changed switch-on and service lives of new lighting functions and represents a generally understandable evaluation system. An evaluation system presented in the following by the Technische Uni versität Darmstadt, which was developed by an encompassing expert commission, is intended to provide representative data and enable an objective evaluation of headlamp performance.
RAPIDO RE-INNOVATES TO CATER TO POST COVID-19 LAST MILE CONNECTIVITY
The rapid pace of urbanisation in the country has witnessed cities expanding and subsuming surrounding villages and smaller towns, evolving into Tier II and III cities.
FUNCTIONAL SAFETY STANDARDS TOP PRIORITY FOR FUTURE AUTOMOTIVE DEPLOYMENT
Increasing levels of electronic content in vehicles result in a large amount of software that is required to run the scenes behind the mechanical aspects of a vehicle. Electronic systems in automobiles are part of every section, from the powertrain to comfort and convenience systems as well as all types of safety equipment. This makes electronics and the software running these systems a critical part of the equation for future mobility solutions. In addition, putting standards in place to measure methods of developing, testing and functioning of such electronic systems also becomes highly relevant.
“BYD'S EV STRATEGY TO ENCOMPASS MOST FORMS OF TRANSPORTATION NEEDS IN INDIA”
The country’s electric vehicle (EV) ecosystem is grappling with a plethora of challenges even as it is striving to wriggle itself out of the ‘nascent stage’ tag. In an exclusive chat with Auto Tech Review, Zhang Jie Ketsu, Executive Director, BYD India shares his perspective on the current EV scenario and how the company intends to progress faster in the Indian automotive industry
SAFETY IN ELECTRIC AND AUTONOMOUS CARS – SIMULATION OF COMPLEX CRASH SCENARIOS
Electric and autonomous vehicles allow for novel seating arrangements and packaging strategies, presenting new safety challenges. Physical crash testing must be supplemented with virtual simulation to ensure vehicle safety on shorter development cycles. With its Simcenter Madymo MBS software, Siemens provides improved runtimes and the Active Human model, enabling accurate and rapid occupant safety analysis in complex crash scenarios.
KIA SONET – A MIGHTY OFFERING IN THE COMPACT SUV SEGMENT
It wouldn't be wrong to say that Kia Motors India has taken the Indian market by storm in less than 12 months of its presence in the market.
NISSAN'S NEW DIRECTION: ARIYA ALL-ELECTRIC
Marking a key milestone in Nissan’s transformation strategy, Ariya ticks a lot of boxes highlighting the strengths of the global automotive giant.
BETTER SAFETY WITH EMERGENCY BRAKE ASSIST FOR MOTORCYCLES
Rear-end collisions with a slower vehicle suddenly cutting into the lane and intersection accidents with cross-traffic are among the most frequent motorcycle accident types. Continental is now developing an emergency brake assist, which detects an imminent collision with a vehicle ahead or with an obstacle, warns the rider and supports him during braking
ADAS WILL SERVE AS CATALYST FOR IMPROVED VEHICLE SAFETY
The automotive industry across the globe is increasingly focussing on safety.
