PremiumMUMBAI: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) on Wednesday said it has invested $150 million to set up a global technology centre, called as the Information and Communication Technology or ICT, in Hyderabad.
The Hyderabad tech centre is the Italian-American vehicle manufacturer’s largest innovation and technology development facility outside of North America and EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa) countries, the company said.
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"India has been at the center of our plans when it comes to vehicle development and technology. FCA’s engineering capabilities are being expanded in India. This is in line with the increased volumes of work we foresee globally and in India," said Partha Datta, president and managing director, FCA India.
The maker of Jeep brand of sport utility vehicles (SUVs) said the centre would create about 1,000 jobs for skilled engineers including full-stack developers, feature architects, UI-UX developers, scrum masters, among others, by end of 2021.
"We foresee FCA ICT India driving innovation in multiple areas including passenger safety, connected mobility, digital showrooms, among others," said Karim Lalani, Director and Head of FCA ICT India.
According to Mamatha Chamarthi, chief information officer, FCA – North America and Asia Pacific, as Fiat Chrysler continues to rapidly adopt digital technologies, it aims to tap India’s vast talent pool of software engineers to build new capabilities to meet new disruptions in the auto industry.
India was chosen because it already is among the company's top four automobile markets globally, has one of the largest millennial population and youngest labour forces in the world, which is expected to drive a strong growth in urban household income over the coming years she added.
Lalani added that the company is looking to collaborate with various engineering colleges in Telangana to develop tailored career opportunities for young graduates in advanced skills and technologies.
FCA India, with engineering units in Pune and Chennai, has a joint venture manufacturing unit in Ranjangaon, which can produce over 1.6 lakh cars and over 3.5 lakh engines per year.
"The engineering center will be able to accommodate a workforce of over 2,200 employees, far more than most other such centers in the world," Datta said, adding that FCA has a 3,000-strong workforce in India.
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