Designing Dream Machines -- In India
Nobody is saying the Big Three are planning to outsource the conceptual design of whole vehicles anytime soon. For now, auto makers tend to farm out less creative, more tedious engineering tasks such testing for design flaws. But clearly, the volume and sophistication of engineering design work is growing rapidly in India. Bangalore's Harita Infoserve Ltd. is developing interior parts and conducting computer tests on components for General Motors Corp. Bangalore's Plexion Technologies has worked on the interior design and windows for a DaimlerChrysler bus. Toyota, Ford Motor, Ferrari, and Honda Motor all are boosting Indian outsourcing, as are key component makers such as Robert Bosch, TRW Automotive, Visteon, and Collins & Aikman.BusinessWeek on outsourcing design engineering to India.