DENSO Joins Partners in Presenting Technology Displays at Mcity Grand Opening

News provided by

Jul 20, 2015, 10:15 ET

SOUTHFIELD, Mich., July 20, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- DENSO International America, Inc. is joining other partners in hosting technology displays and demonstrations at the Mcity grand opening on July 20 on the campus of the University of Michigan (UM) in Ann Arbor. Mcity is a controlled test environment for connected and automated vehicles operated by UM's Mobility Transformation Center (MTC). The 32-acre cityscape is a simulated urban and suburban environment in Ann Arbor which allows researchers to safely test new technologies without disrupting public roadways.

Mcity features a network of roads with intersections, traffic signs, signals, streetlights, building facades, sidewalks and construction obstacles which can be outfitted with sensors and other equipment to test connected and automated technologies that allow vehicles to communicate with each other and with the infrastructure. This information is then available to help improve the new technologies in automated driving.

DENSO is a Leadership Circle member of MTC, giving it access to all of the information collected, as well as patents created, from the pooled research through MTC. DENSO will also be conducting its own private research projects to collect additional data.

"Mcity is a great opportunity to combine engineering, urban planning and energy and information technologies to accelerate progress and help drive the industry forward with automated vehicles," said Doug Patton, executive vice president of engineering at DENSO. "DENSO will have the ability to collect data on our dedicated short-range communication modules, data communication modules, driver status monitoring and more to make the necessary changes before putting these technologies on the road."

About DENSO:

DENSO Corp., headquartered in Kariya, Aichi prefecture, Japan, is a leading global automotive supplier of advanced technology, systems and components in the areas of thermal, powertrain control, electronics and information and safety. Its customers include all the world's major carmakers. Worldwide, the company has more than 200 subsidiaries and affiliates in 38 countries and regions (including Japan) and employs more than 140,000 people. Consolidated global sales for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2015, totaled US$35.9 billion. Last fiscal year, DENSO spent 9.2 percent of its global consolidated sales on research and development. DENSO common stock is traded on the Tokyo and Nagoya stock exchanges. For more information, go to www.globaldenso.com, or visit our media website at www.densomediacenter.com.

About DENSO in North America:

In North America, DENSO employs more than 22,000 people at 30 consolidated companies and affiliates. Of these, 25 are manufacturing facilities located in the United States, Canada and Mexico. In the United States alone, DENSO employs more than 14,000 people in California, Michigan, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia, Iowa, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Arkansas. DENSO's North American consolidated sales totaled US$8.0 billion for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2015. For more information, go to www.densocorp-na.com.